Maybe God Doesn't Have A Plan For Us...
And That's OK.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. -Jeremiah 29:11
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;- Psalm 139: 13-14
Most of us, whether we identify as Evangelical Christians or not, have heard the phrase, “God has a plan for your life.” Usually, that’s followed by Jeremiah 29:11 or Psalm 139:13-14. And don’t get me wrong, that theology can and does help people who are going through difficult times to believe that their situation will eventually improve. That theology can give people the strength to continue pressing forward in the face of difficult challenges. And I do not want to take away from someone a theology that has enabled and empowered them to survive some horrific situations.
Additionally, while it’s important to be careful when we take Biblical verses and stories outside of their historical and literary contexts, the reality is that people have been taking Bible verses and stories and applying it to their specific situations and time periods.
Even the editors/authors of the Biblical texts have done that with other stories/verses that they may have been aware of. So for me, taking into account the literary and historical context of the Biblical text is vitally important when we seek to apply it to our day and age. Also applying Biblical texts and verses to our day and age is not necessarily “bad” if one does so carefully and thoughtfully and with the literary and historical context in mind.
So those who take Jeremiah 29:11 or Psalm 139: 13-14 to assert that God also has a plan for them, are not necessarily causing harm. The issue is when they use these texts to oppress and harm others and when they insist that what they believe is God’s plan for their individual life, is for everyone. For example, Psalm 139: 13-14, is used as a proof-text against abortion. Forget the fact that the psalmist had very little understanding of the science of conception and childbirth. The author is not in fact issuing an edict against abortion, but is instead affirming God’s love and care for them as an individual.
Another example of when verses are misused or when the idea of “God has a plan for everyone” causes harm can be seen in those who insist that gender roles are God-ordained. Some Christians will argue that women, regardless of their skills, desires, and talents are supposed to be mothers. Even those who don’t go the full rad trad wife route, but who still think motherhood should be the goal of all women are adhering to harmful theology.
Men, of course, have their own purpose as well: they are to be fathers adhering to a specific notion of masculinity that entails coercive power and being the leader of one’s family. Nonbinary, queer people are of course either viewed as an abomination to God or are deemed to need to be celibacy. And yet even this acknowledgment that some people may not be called to parenthood or marriage, is oppressive because the image of singlehood takes one form: celibacy. Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with individuals choosing to remain celibate, just as there is nothing wrong with individuals choosing to become parents. The difficulty arises when what is a choice is presented as an inevitability and presented as some divine ordinance.
I’m not interested in being a parent. Absolutely, 1000% percent no. I respect those who are parents and I believe that the US needs to do more to care for children and their parents by providing free/low-income daycare, paid parental leave for people of all gender identities, living wages, free meals at school, and universal healthcare. And I still have no desire to be a parent. Yet because I theoretically at least, have the ability to get pregnant (I have no desire to find out if I do have this ability), some Christians insist that God’s plan for me is to have children. In this theology, my desires, my wants, do not matter.
Those who adhere to this theology often seek to force, through legislation, their notion of God’s plan on other people. The overturning of Roe V. Wade and denying abortion access is only the beginning. Some politicians are actively seeking to ban birth control, gay marriage, medical care for trans people, and anything else viewed as getting in the way of God’s plan for humanity.
So what’s the alternative to this theology? Believe God doesn’t care what we do? Not exactly. I titled this post, “Maybe God Doesn’t Have A Plan For Us And That’s OK” but that’s a bit click baity. I do believe God cares deeply about our lives. But I don’t necessarily think God has a step-by-step, play-by-play plan for our lives. Why? Because that would essentially make God a puppet master and give us very little agency. Plus this ignores the reality that we live in a world of violence and oppression that limits people’s ability to make free choices. Instead here’s what I believe:
That for all of us-God wants a life free from violence and oppression. God seeks for us to participate in bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, a kingdom where violence, inequality, and injustice are no more. If there is a general plan for each human-it has nothing to do with specific gender roles but with ensuring that we can live with dignity, respect, and justice.
When not warped by the desire for coercive power, our individual skills, gifts, and wants are gifts from God. I’m not just going to give a blanket statement that our talents and desires are God-given because, for instance, there are plenty of powerful people whose sole goal is to make lots of money and create a powerful empire that actively oppresses people. However, I do think that our goals, talents, and skills, can be gifts from God if they aren’t used to cause harm to others.
So does God have a plan for our lives? It depends on what you mean by plan. If you mean a singular plan that we all must force ourselves to fit into probably not. If you mean a static, unchanging plan, that is forced on us. No. But if you mean a plan in the sense that God wants to work with us and our desires, skills, and talents to create a more just and equitable world, then yes. But this plan is dynamic, changing, and creative.
Note: The opinions expressed on this substack are solely my own and do not reflect the opinions of any employer, including government, non-profit, for-profit, educational, etc
Image: Notebook opened. Two stick fingers thinking. Text; Does God have a plan for our lives? It depends on what you mean by plan.