Permission to Explore

Not every choice you make or idea that you pursue needs to be “divinely inspired”. Why? Because as God’s creation, you are already divinely inspired.

Let me explain.

All throughout my life, I’ve often said to God, “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it!” I want clear direction! But God is more relational than that, and he’s given us the ability to choose, to think, to imagine and to create.

Let’s look at what God says in the Garden of Eden.

‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’ (Genesis 2:15-17)

God says ‘you are free to eat from any tree in the garden’. Of course, he does also give clear direction about which tree not to eat from, but apart from that, there is freedom to choose. He doesn’t say you must eat from this tree on a Monday and this tree on a Tuesday. There is a freedom to try from each tree and to explore the different tastes. God sets up a journey of discovery and exploration for Adam, so that over time he can learn about the different plants and trees, their nutritional benefits, and how to work to take care of the land.

We can learn a lot from this in our own lives. Yes, there are certain things that the Bible makes it clear not to do, but within the boundaries of the kingdom of God, there is freedom.

We are free to try different things and discover what we like and enjoy. That’s one of the greatest gifts that God has given to us!

Now I’m not saying that God can’t and doesn’t give us clear direction about which path to take in life. Often He does! I’m also not saying we can just go off and do anything we like. But if we have God as the absolute No.1 in our lives, this is where we find true freedom. If we begin to go outside of the kingdom of God, we can trust God to convict and redirect us. This is what a mature relationship with God looks like. It’s not a dictatorship, but it’s constant communion.

You are a wonderful creation of God who has been given the ability to choose, so enjoy this journey of exploration with God!