what path do YOU take?

A question was just posed on Facebook: "What does it mean, "Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven?"

Thy Will...God's Will. We all know that to "will" something means to have the ability to do something. As in, "I WILL wash the dishes." "I WILL go to the store." It means that you are going to do something. Or it can be known as a Will, in which, after your death, another may inherit something from you. Or it can  mean that you try to do something to the best of your ability, as in, "she willed herself to survive the disease that had overtaken her."

God's Will, though...what is that?

When we pray, we (usually) go to God with a laundry list of prayers and petitions. Although we may pray "Your Will be done," what we really are asking is for God to grant us what we have asked for! Not unlike a little child who asks grandma for a cookie, hoping (and knowing!) full well that said cookie will, in all likelihood, be given.

But God is not like that. He doesn't wave a magic wand and grant you what you have requested. He is not a genie. This doesn't mean you shouldn't ask...what you should do is to pray with an open heart- be accepting of whatever answer you receive. Maybe right now is not a good time. Maybe your request isn't a good choice for you. Maybe...maybe you need to learn to have more faith..or gratitude, to accept God's best answer for you. Many times a situation is hard to understand, such as why good friends die young while others live a long time. Or someone you know just lost a job and might be homeless soon unless a new job can be found. And so on. It is hard for us mortals to understand what God wants for us individually, let alone as a nation of peoples. Life can be so confusing!

God's Will for us is that we live in peace, harmony and in service to others. Not just when we feel like it, but all the time. If you want peace in the world, begin with you. 

When we pray "Thy Will be done," we are surrendering ourselves to God, heart and soul. We are putting ourselves completely in His care. "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit." Jesus prayed this while dying on the Cross. A death He undertook for you and I. The whole Lord's Prayer was His way of sharing His love for us, allowing us to also put our own selves into God's Hands. We may not always like it, it may not always be easy, but by golly, with God on our side, with us totally immersed in His love, how can it be any less than the greatest blessing there is? His Will...God's Will! Not Diane's will, not James' will, not Betty's will...in the end, God's Will prevails!

I, for one, am so grateful for that! "Make me an instrument of your peace," St. Francis of Assisi prayed. We are all instruments of God. How well do you play His melodies?