Free to Choose

He came storming through the door, angrily muttering under his breath. I caught the words “Why did God let him do that?” I do not remember what it was that upset my son so much, but I asked, “You want God to stop him? Would you like it if every time you wanted to say something hurtful to someone, God slapped His hand over your mouth and stopped you?” My son had a mouth on him. “And would you like it if every time you wanted to slug someone, God clamped your hands down to your sides and stopped you?” My son got in fights.

“You want God to stop other people, but you don’t want God to stop you—am I right?” Free will for me but not for you. Do you like that? “I get to do what I want, but you don’t get to do what you want.” Or even better, “I get to do what I want, and you get to do what I want!” I know too many people like that! The big question is, Do we really get to do what we want? Are we really free to choose? We find the topic of choice addressed right off the bat in the Bible. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent offered Eve the forbidden fruit.

She could have said no and walked away.

Hadn’t God already told her, “Don’t eat it”? But this snake hanging out in the tree said she should, and that it was good. “So . . . she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6, NKJV). Did God stop her from eating that fruit or from sharing it with Adam? No. And God lets you and me make our choices, too, even if they harm us or others. God did not stop my son’s friend from doing the wrong thing.

Neither did He make my son do the right thing.

But He did give my son a mother who could share the divine perspective, and He did give us His Word to offer divine guidance and the power to do all things well.

Pat Arrabito