By Qiao Hui,
In this noisy and materialistic society, competition is everywhere. It has become a common phenomenon that we are not content with the status quo, and thus we have more requirements of ourselves and higher desires. Some people look very ordinary, but they dream that they can be as beautiful as Snow White and become the focus of public attention, and thus they boldly enter the beauty clinic. However, they are disfigured by the plastic surgery. As a result, the pain will be with them all their lives. Some are born in a poor family, but they hope that they can become rich and live a life where they are above others. Therefore, they try every way to strive for that all their lives. Finally, in return they are mentally and physically exhausted and suffering the torture of illness. At this point, happiness is also rather distant from them. Some have been very unfortunate in their official career, but they wish that their fortunes will rise spectacularly and contemplate how to achieve a high rank all day, flattering and toadying up to those in charge and even doing things that violate the laws. … In short, we are struggling all our lives to realize our own ideals, but many times we end up empty-handed and our lives pass quickly.
We constantly strive hard to realize these ideals and are still unwilling to stop even if we have paid a terrible price. Such is the case with later generations. What is the real reason for this?
God’s word cuts to the point and reveals the source of this issue, “Because people do not recognize God’s orchestrations and God’s sovereignty, they always face fate defiantly and with a rebellious attitude, and they always want to cast off God’s authority and sovereignty and the things fate has in store, hoping in vain to change their current circumstances and alter their fate. But they can never succeed and are thwarted at every turn. This struggle, which takes place deep in one’s soul, brings profound pain of the sort that carves itself into one’s bones, as one fritters away their life all the while. What is the cause of this pain? Is it because of God’s sovereignty, or because a person was born unlucky? Obviously, neither is true. At bottom, it is caused by the paths people take, the ways they choose to live their lives” (“God Himself, the Unique III”). Pondering God’s word, I realize that all kinds of pains we have suffered in pursuit of our personal interests are not because we are born unlucky, but because we hold on to the mistaken viewpoints and extravagant desires. Why do we have “impractical demands” and “blind acts”? This is because we want to compete with others, seek status and tower above others to satisfy our ambitions and desires. We always think that we will live a valuable and meaningful life if we can be distinguished from others and stand out from the crowd, as well as become someone to be looked up to. On the contrary, if we can’t fulfill this, we will be looked down on and left out in the cold. We think that it would be meaningless if we live like this, and such life is too lowly. So, each of us has taken fame and gain as goals of our pursuit. And therefore we strive to become outstanding and a special talent as well as to turn ourselves into someone extraordinary and superior. In fact, everything God has planned and decided for us is the best, and can also meet our needs. But we always have too many impractical demands, and we are always dissatisfied with our current situations. We want to surpass others in life and work to become the best and brightest who are admired by all. If we can’t achieve our goals, we will feel great pain and suffering in our hearts. Clearly, if we do not recognize God’s sovereignty and arrangements, and we just rely on our own ability to alter our fate, in the end we will definitely fail.
The only way for us to live freely is to turn back to God, submit ourselves to God, and accept and submit to His sovereignty and arrangements. Just as God’s word says, “So, no matter how far you have walked in life, no matter how old you are now, no matter how long the rest of your journey may be, first you must recognize God’s authority and take it seriously, and accept the fact that God is your unique Master. Attaining clear, accurate knowledge and understanding of these truths regarding God’s sovereignty over human fate is a mandatory lesson for everyone; it is the key to knowing human life and attaining the truth. Such is the life of knowing God, its basic course of study, that everyone must face each day, which no one can evade. If someone wishes to take shortcuts to reach this goal, then I tell you now, it is impossible! If you want to escape God’s sovereignty, that is even less possible! God is man’s only Lord, God is the only Master of human fate, and so it is impossible for man to dictate his own fate, impossible for him to step outside of it. No matter how great one’s abilities, one cannot influence—much less orchestrate, arrange, control, or change—the fates of others. Only God Himself, the unique, dictates all things for man, for only He possesses the unique authority that holds sovereignty over human fate, and so only the Creator is man’s unique Master” (“God Himself, the Unique III”). God’s word points out the only way for us to get rid of these pains. That is to recognize God’s sovereignty and predestination, change our mistaken viewpoints, put aside extravagant desires in our hearts, and accept God as the unique Master. Only in this way can we live in joy and peace, freely and happily! In truth, from the moment each of us comes into this world, our life destiny has already been set out by God. God has long ago arranged everything for us, which includes the family we are born into, our physical appearances, the circumstances in which we grow up, the work we engage in, and our marriages and descendants. No matter whether we are tall or short, fat or thin, good-looking or ugly, and rich or poor, we can’t let these become burdens in the path of our lives. Because in the eyes of God, every one of us has our value. Just as the weeds are not as beautiful as flowers, nor are they as erect as pines, but they can add to this earth green vitality every year and they never complain about how ordinary they are; oxen are born to plow, and they are not spoiled by people, but they abide by their duty every day and serve people diligently, never complaining. … All things live within the course predestined by God, and they never compare themselves to each other, nor do they complain about their ordinary lives. They just adhere to their duties and keep their places, heartily playing their roles in this world. With the adornment of all things, this world becomes more colorful, full of life and vitality.
So, the greatest wisdom for us is to know God and to obey His sovereignty and arrangements. If we can rely on God in everything, we will surely benefit in unexpected ways.
