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Providence

Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

I think God uses the events in our lives to change us and others, whether those events are personal choices or uncontrollable events. There have been no times in my life when I have been closer to God, and when I have been more willing to listen to him, than those in which I have felt so utterly alone. While I caused those events, or allowed them to happen, God used them to mold me into the man he intends me to be.

At the same time, I believe that we-- and the choices we make-- are the product of both our experiences and our inherent makeup. There is a reason I'm writing on this subject right now instead of fighting fires or eating ice cream. Not only am I inherently interested in learning, but I've also been exposed to others whose answers to questions like this have sparked my own interest. Newton once wrote to Robert Hooke, "You have added much several ways...If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." In a similar way, I feel I've been influenced by those around me to take the course of life I've chosen; and while that course is lined by what at times seem to be insurmountable fences, the reality is that there are unlocked gates here and there that offer the freedom to walk this way and that. Our paths are confined in some ways, but we have the ultimate choice to leave it if we so choose. This is a gift of God.

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