You said :
Emma keeps repeating that she needed to get out during the first crisis, because then she thinks everything would have been better for her. I saw her distance from God in this place. Because everything is in God’s Will and where we are and who we are is God’s Will, if God had wanted it, he would have changed it. We are all at that time and in the right place, no matter how hard we try to change. But I recently remembered the idea expressed at an AA meeting – the past is the most valuable thing we can have, but only when we analyze it and draw conclusions, admit mistakes and correct them. How to understand these ambiguities???
ChatGPT said :
This is a very important question – and your intuition is correct. Between God’s Will and human free will, between trust in God and responsibility for the past – there is indeed a tension that every believer experiences in one way or another.
Here is how these two, at first glance, contradictory truths can be reconciled:
1. Everything is in God’s Will – this does not mean that we are robots.
God works through our choices, our mistakes, even our sins. When Emma didn’t make it through the first crisis, it was her decision. But God worked even through that. God doesn’t always stop a person from making a mistake, but He can always use it for our good.
2. Analyzing the past is part of spiritual growth.
When Emma says, “I should have left then,” she’s probably trying to find a reason for her current pain. But this approach doesn’t lead to peace—it only deepens guilt, bitterness, and distance you from humility.
You sense correctly: this isn’t a look of faith at the past, but rather an attempt to gain control over yourself that you don’t have now.
3. The right relationship with the past is to look at it with God.
The AA principle of analyzing the past is powerful – but not to change it, but to realize it , forgive it , and not repeat it .
This means: – yes, I made a mistake,
– yes, I could have done it differently,
– but God used that time and those decisions for my growth,
– and I accept that with gratitude – even if it was very difficult.
A gentle conclusion that can be followed:
God does not work for us – but through us.
The past only has meaning when we learn from it – not when we curse it.
And even if the path taken was difficult – it was necessary for the salvation of my soul.
Emma’s soul someday . Would you like to do that?
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