earth-shaking decisions (part one)

What is a big decision? When we think of earth-shaking decisions, we typically think of things such as large, round tables and concerned middle-aged men in ties debating amongst themselves. We think of the Oval Office, or of Parliament (depending on your country), or even of the executive offices of a large business.

But the decisions made in these places are not earth-shaking or earth-shattering. They help move along the reals decisions, but are themselves not much at all.

The real decisions are made on a much smaller scale, at first glance. The real decisions are made by the soldier on the battlefield--should I pull the trigger or not? That may not, at first, seem earth-altering, but it is. World War One exploded when Gavrilo Princip deciding to pull the trigger and assassinate Archduke Ferdinand. The American Revolution grew from distrust to war when four or five men decided to pull a trigger and shoot some soldiers across the field.

Now, both of these situations were already volatile; both wars were intently seeking a way out of the conference rooms and onto the battlefield. However, who's to say they would have found that way without these men making decisions?

But Gavrilo Princip's decision was shaped strongly by his environment. It's possible that he could truly see no other option but to shoot the Archduke. But someone made the decisions that shaped his environment. And their decisions were shaped by those of their predecessors. And their decisions were shaped by those of their predecessors. And their decisions were shaped by those of their predecessors. And their decisions were shaped by those of their predecessors. And yes I did write that line four times.

The ultimate decision goes back a long way. Even before humanity existed. The ultimate decision goes back to God. He literally shaped the environment in which Adam was created. So everything goes back to God. He made the earth in the way He made it with full knowledge that Princip would shoot the Archduke. So why did He make it that way?

Because He gave us free will. But what does it mean to have free will? What exactly is freedom?

Tomorrow, I will do my best to answer that question.