Plan for Inaction

      Today I had to take my car into the garage for some service. I had a check engine light that was telling me that my O2 sensor was bad and I had some suspension system work that needed to be done. It all got done and I got a call to come on down while the finishing touches were being put on the wheel alignment. I walked there and got all the details taken care of with the bill and work done. While I was waiting for the last bit and a test drive by the mechanic I was talking with the manager at the desk. Some simple chit chat then something came up and he started talking about how he met his wife. I really don't remember how it came up but some things came up that got me thinking. Actually, my illness came up and he told me about his proposed best man that had died after a long fight with cancer not two months before the wedding. Either way, let me continue.

      Lets start with he is a religious man with a strong community that has supported him and his family. He told me he was divorced with two older children (now adults). After his divorce he was at a church function where he was introduced to his wife. He told me about how they got along and how they had little issues because of him being divorced and having children. Evidently, she was not about dating or marrying anybody that was divorced and she did not want children. He said that they were smitten with each other. They had some awkward moments in the early days of their relationship. But in his heart he knew that God had a plan and somehow everything was working great. He was telling me the cute things that she put up with in those days and it was awesome. It was not but a few months later that he proposed.

      Of course, he wanted to get it right because it was not so perfect with his previous marriage. He wanted God's plan to work so he and his wife had sought out counseling and coaching through the church. Honestly, I am amazed by the support that he described during this whole thing. Still I got to get this story going. Things went well and years later he is very happily married with two more kids. So much for her plans. He was amazed by his two young children and how they are growing up. There is something special about a proud parent watching his children grow up. Then he got into his older kids.

      One ran off to middle of nowhere Illinois to live with a woman he met online. I guess he does not have a job and has no interest in getting one. In any case, the gentleman was obviously upset but hopeful that one day that son would wake up and fix his life. His other son is in college and wants to be a school guidance counselor. That is totally awesome. Then the bomb dropped. He told me that his son had disowned him. That his ex-wife had said some horrible things during and after the divorce which turned the kids against him. He told me that his son had not talked to him in years. But he was not going to press the issue and it was in God's plan that when it was time for him and his son to talk it would be time.

      Now I don't know what the details are and it may not be the best time to press a young adult to communicate when it is not the right time. I am sure this gentleman was hurting because of the situation with both of his sons. But I have a problem with the assumption that if there is a God's plan then that plan is to wait passively and let life happen to us. This guys idea of a plan is to do nothing and all will be right in the eyes of his god. If he goes to church and prays then that is all that needs to be done. Those that need help will get help. If only that were true.

      Why on earth would I let life happen. If there is a god of some sort and he/she has a plan then why can that plan not have me doing something. By this logic the guy with a sign that said “Need Food” should not have worried about holding up the sign and walking down the line of cars. The Back on My Feet guys would have received a message by burning bush e-mail that he was there and needed help. I don't get it. If God has a plan, how on earth are we to know what to do. We should be in absolute fear of doing anything. Perhaps we are going off plan. I know this is kind of the faith of having a god's plan but still in the mind of the kind gentleman that meant doing nothing in a very bad situation. It just seems like action it so much greater than inaction. Don't let life happen to you. It is better to have you happen to life and the lives of others.