I recently heard a preacher say, “God planned for you to be here today. You’re each here for a reason. Are you going to embrace that reason or not?”

I disagree. God certainly knows where I am and works where I am. He works through all the choices I make. He meets me where I am and isn’t content to leave me there. But I can’t say that where I am is exactly where God planned for me to be.

I don’t always choose well. Do you? I don’t want to get lazy and begin to think that regardless of what I choose or how disengaged I am, I’m where God planned for me to be. Let’s think this through for a minute.

So, I’m sitting in church and a preacher says, “God planned for you to be here today. You’re each here for a reason. Are you going to embrace that reason or not?” Let’s work backward through the assumptions and accuracy of the statements.

According the the last question, I have a choice to choose God’s way or not. I agree with that. I can follow God’s plan or not. I can take a step toward God or a step away from God. I can go where God wants me to be or where he doesn’t want me to be. In that moment…and in the next moment and the next. The choices I have go on and on, and each affects my relationship with God.

“You’re here for a reason.” Again, I agree. I don’t always know what the reason is. Sometimes it’s because I’ve been obedient to God and I’ve stepped closer to him, and he’s teaching me something. Sometimes it’s because I’ve been disobedient, choosing what God didn’t want me to choose. I’ve stepped away from him – perhaps a teeny step that seems insignificant at the time or a huge step. He’s teaching me something. Wherever I am is a place of purpose. I can always learn something. God is always teaching.

Now for the first statement:  “God planned for you to be here today.” So I have one choice after another, and I can choose to step closer to or farther away from God. Yet, even if I’ve chosen to step away from God, and I’m not where I’m supposed to be, God planned for me to be right where I am? Perhaps it’s just semantics, but I believe that God working through my choices, despite where they’ve taken me, and God planning – or longing – for me to be somewhere are two different possibilities. Hopefully, in obedience, the two are the same place. I’ve chosen what God wanted me to choose, so there’s no difference between where my choices have taken me and where God planned for me to be. But the reality is my choices often take me somewhere God didn’t plan for me to be. Sometimes I’m way off track and sometimes I’ve taken a short detour.

God knows where I am at all times. He never leaves me. He’ll continue to guide me to help me get back on track, but part of that process involves choice upon choice, and I can take the steps to get back on track – or not.

Why would I bring this up? After all, I was in church when I heard these words, and isn’t it obvious that’s where God would want us all to be? That’s not my debate right now, but consider…If you assume you are always right where God wants you, what can you rationalize? What about someone who woke up and decided not to go to church? What about someone whose neighbor was trying to fix a car so she could get to work but he looked the other way so he could get to church? What about when we’ve chosen the path that takes us a step away from God’s will instead of closer to the center of it? Sometimes it’s not a choice between good and bad; I’m not just talking about sin. Sometimes the choice is between good and good, but God always has a “best” in mind. It’s the one that draws you closer to him.

Yes, God works through every situation we’re in. But if we assume we’re right where God planned for us to be, will be assume we’re right where God wants us to be?

We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.  Romans 8:28