Articles
Masters of Our Own Destiny?
It is common to hear some celebrity or athlete sermonizing about the importance of following your dreams, willing your own success, not giving up. With an Oscar in their hand or a gold medal around their neck, they proclaim the virtues of self-belief, visualization of goals and hard work. And they promise – promise! – that if you don’t lose faith in yourself you, too, will achieve greatness one day. It’s all in your hands.
Sadly, that is a false promise. For every NFL star there are tens of thousands who fall by the wayside because of injury or a fraction of a second here or half-inch there. For every chart-topping singer there are, again, tens of thousands who have equal or greater talent but who didn’t happen to meet the right person at the right time or had a family need that prevented their move to Nashville or L.A. A lack of belief in themselves had nothing to do with the twists of fate that derailed their dreams.
Some of these purveyors of pop philosophy are merely gushing the glee of fame and fortune. They know that they have risen to stardom against the odds by both fortuitous circumstances and (in many cases) some modicum of talent. They are so overjoyed at their success that they want others to believe that it can happen to them, too. Perhaps they mean well.
But the darker underbelly of this outlook is pure humanism, the belief that we can control our own destiny. Humanism by definition is self-reliance. It is a conscious rejection of God and a complete trust in self – one’s own intellectual ability, ingenuity, intuitiveness, shrewdness, perseverance, etc. The humanist believes he can will his own well-being and future.
But Scripture highlights a fact of life that is evident to thoughtful observers and which directly contradicts humanistic self-will: “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecc 9:11). Many forces shaping our destinies are out of our control. To assert that we can will our own success is patently false and sets up the naïve for disappointment.
The Christian happily entrusts himself to God knowing that His omniscience and omnipotence will guide him properly. He confidently accepts unexpected or even undesired changes knowing that God will provide for, protect, and use him to righteous ends. True happiness does not arise from humanistic autonomy, for we know that we can actually control very little. Perhaps this is why so many celebrities and sports heroes are quirky, insecure, abusive, chemically dependent or downright neurotic.
Trusting in God’s will does not mean we can be lazy or reckless and expect God to bail us out. That is presumption (Mt 4:6-7). But we must accept that we may do our best and still come up short. However, God will accomplish what He wishes through us. That is a liberating truth, one that puts self in proper perspective and produces sound emotional health.
