Click for audio: What is Greater Good?
This week I was involved in a conversation with a colleague who raised the question of what we mean by the term, greater good. It’s a very good question. When we ask it of ourselves, and we are honest, we consider the viagra da banco dalla germania in contrassegno difference between what we think we want, and what is actually the best outworking of a given situation.
Some years ago an elderly woman who had, for years, struggled with failing health, asked me if I thought it was okay for her to let go and move one. “I’m so tired,” she said. “I see no point fighting to stay in the body. All of my family is praying for me to be healed. I think the healing I need is to let go of this broken body.”
From the family’s point of view, greater good was defined as keeping their mother in her body. From her point of view, she was ready to do exactly the opposite and let go. Which one is right? If you could play the role of God for a moment, which prayer would you answer? The family was obviously reluctant to experience of loss of their loved one. Who can blame them? But were they thinking of their highest good, or were they thinking of the rx generic viagra highest good of their mother? They were willing to set aside her wishes for their own. If their prayer truly were for their mother’s highest good, then they would let go of their own preconceived ideas, listen to their mother and release her from their personal wishes.
We have all prayed for specific outcomes to troubling situations. Have we not also observed these situations working out, but not in ways we wanted or expected? We naturally arrive at specifics based on our understanding of a given situation. Do we know all the facts? Do we see the situation from the all-knowing perspective of divine wisdom?
Our best approach is to feel free to name the greater good, but to do so with the condition, this, or something better. Something better, however, may be exactly the opposite of what we think is best. The mother passed within two weeks of our visit. As expected, the family was devastated, their pain compounded by their inability to accept their mother’s interpretation of greater good.
This is a great reminder if you are praying for the right outworking of a situation. Do not be afraid to name the greater good you desire, but let your definition be expansive enough to include this, or something better.