The Inconvenience of Free Will

On Proverbs 3:5–6 from the Old Testament's Book of Proverbs (KJV—King James Version)—

5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The meaning:
5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not rely upon your own understanding.
6. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths aright.

We often fail to notice—how, inch by inch, we have drifted onto a path we never imagined at the outset. Then comes that unsettling thought: "What am I really doing here?"

From a religious or philosophical vantage, many of us gaze skyward and recall Proverbs 3:5—"Do not depend on your own comprehension. Always acknowledge Me, and I shall set your path straight." Or Caroline Myss's wry observation comes to mind: "If you want to know whether God has a sense of humor, tell Him your plans."

In this lies a troubling truth: free will is not always a blessing. Herein lies the ancient quarrel—free will, or determinism?

In our lived experience, we carry within us a DGS (Divine Guidance System)—much as a car carries GPS. We can choose to ignore it, can convince ourselves that we know best. Yet some fortunate souls learn to attune themselves to this DGS, and they navigate life with ease and joy. Others catch glimpses of it now and then. Many more remain unaware of its existence, deny it outright, or deliberately keep it switched off.

The reach of free will extends thus: yes, we possess it. We are free to choose wrongly, or rightly. We can stumble into despair through error, or if our choice is sound, we can bloom in gladness.

Yet here is the paradox: every decision we make and every consequence that follows will ultimately deliver us to that place where God wills us to be—into His presence and His fellowship.

In the end, we are all caught in God's "Wanted: Dead or Alive" poster. The game is on!