Some time ago, I had a conversation with a friend who shared this thought:
“What if God’s will for our lives is less like a narrow road and more like a large backyard? There’s room to roam, run, and play—along with a fence so you know where the boundaries are.”
This image struck me.
Actually, it set me free.
A new vision for God’s will
Like many, I consider God’s will to be a narrow path.
His particular will for our lives is something that can be deviated from with laughable ease. His will is so fragile that ordering the wrong coffee can send us spinning out of control, tumbling away from the Father’s love.
But what if God’s will isn’t narrow but broad, fenced in by his loving-kindness?
What if, like King David, God has given “a wide place for my steps” (Psalm 18:32)?
Wide enough to run, try new things, explore, and live freely?
A new resolution
What if we lived life with less anxiety about following God’s will and with more freedom?
Believing that “goodness and mercy” follow us all the days of our life (Psalm 23:6).
This doesn’t solve all the frustration, confusion, and anxiety we may feel about discovering God’s will. But I know that, for me, this paradigm shift has brought a lot of freedom—and hope.
I pray it does the same for you.