*The following is a 2001 quote from famous musician Dave Matthews.*
"It would be safe to say that I'm agnostic. However, I do feel as though we owe a faith to the world and to ourselves. We owe a grace and gratitude to things that have brought us here. But I think it's very ignorant to say, "Well, for everything, God has a plan." That's like an excuse. ... Maybe the real faithful act is to commit to something, to take action, as opposed to saying, "Well, everything is in the hand of God." – Dave Matthews to the Boston Globe Mar. 4, 2001
I am a big fan of Dave Matthew’s music, but I don’t sign up to his religious views. I believe in God. I believe Jesus Christ died for us so that we might have eternal life. However, I think Dave Matthews makes a valid point when he says that people who use the phrase ‘God has a plan’ as an excuse are ignorant. We must not use the phrase “God has a plan” as an excuse. God’s plan for us is to love. He desires that we love Him above all things. We should also love our neighbor and ourselves. We all have been given the gift of free will. This is a gift given by God that distinguishes the human race from other animals. This free will means that we have the choice to choose between good and evil. So when we choose evil is this just part of God’s plan? Absolutely not! God is all good and everything he created is good. Our choices are ours and ours alone. When we do good deeds the Holy Spirit may be working within us, but the good deed requires us to listen to the Holy Spirit and take action. It is ultimately our choice. On the flip side, the devil may tempt us to do evil but at the end of the day the choice is ours. We should not blame our sinful actions on the devil. God is not interested in excuses. God can make good out of all situations, meaning that no matter what the situation there may be or how that situation came about, some good will occur if we appropriately respond to that situation. However, this does not mean that every situation is His plan. When we sin, it was not God’s plan but rather our denial of the plan He has for us. When we sin we should not try to explain it away, but acknowledge our sinfulness and actively work to rid those sinful acts from our life. To be a faithful Christian is more than just believing in Jesus, it means to have faith in Him and do good works. It means that we recognize our sinfulness and we are constantly striving to rid ourselves of our sinful ways so that we may become more like Him. We do this best though prayer and the Sacraments. We must use our talents to glorify God. To be Christian does not mean that we sit on the sidelines and watch the action. We must be in the game. When we live according to God’s plan which is love, we will win and God will smile. God’s plan is love. Go and live according to His plan.
God bless,
2 comments:
Hello I just want to say that you tell us that you are agnostic? That would mean that you are doubtful and non commitual, someone who does not believe in God and who needs proof that there is a God. What you say here says that you are not agnostic.
Thank you for your comment. I think you are confused because I never said I was agnostic. I used a quote from Dave Matthews who is an agnostic. I am a Catholic. I believe in God. I sure hope that is very clear.
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