It has been said that you never really know a person until you’ve walked in their shoes. So imagine that you are allowed to borrow God’s shoes, just for a moment. The first thing you would notice is that your character has changed. Once filled with uncertainty about the future, you now know everything. Once afraid of failure, you are now all-powerful. Once concerned with yourself, you now think of others. So, given this transformation, what would be the first thing you would do? Would it bother you that people hate you and blame you for every bad thing that happens? If it did, couldn’t you just control their minds to think better of you? After all, if you are all-powerful, your only limitations are the things you are unwilling to do. Would controlling minds be the first thing you would do, even though the true God, your predecessor, allowed man to criticize? Or maybe you don’t care what people think and it’s more important to run the universe. People should be your minions and what they think and know is barely a fraction of your thoughts and intellect. Their horizon is dismal compared to yours and they would be easy to ignore if you didn’t see everything and forget nothing. So what to do about man? Your predecessor already tried snuffing him out and starting over with the best of his lot. It was better at first, but as time went by, he got cocky again. It’s a dilemma. Maybe you could just put off dealing with the problem of sin. What else could be the first thing you would do if you were God for a moment?
How about something capricious, like throwing a party? Who would you invite that would be good company? Who could say anything that you didn’t already know? If not man, that leaves angels as guests. Even though they are servants, they could attend. But what would be the point of your party? Doesn’t everything you do require a purpose? Is there anything that isn’t a part of your plan? Is it even possible for you to be frivolous?
Clearly, if you were God, your experience would be different from ours and the way you see events would be further-reaching than man could imagine. It seems like a difficult life, but just think of all the good you could do! You could give everyone their heart’s desire…but considering we are talking about man’s selfish heart, maybe that wouldn’t be such a good idea. What would happen if two men wanted the same thing? Would you just create two of that commodity? Remember, there is no problem that you can’t solve.
How would you solve the problem of pain and suffering in the world? Is it possible to give a dictator his desire without making others suffer? Is there a man alive who doesn’t want to control his own life and maybe others? It’s a thorny issue. Maybe you could postpone distributing goodness until all the players have had a chance to declare themselves, even though you know what they will say. In the interim, what else could be your first act as God?
It would be like rubbing a magic lamp and having unlimited wishes. A man might wish for eternal life but you, as God, already have that. Maybe you would wish for wealth. No, you already have that. What about power over mankind? But you have power over everything, not just man. Maybe you would like to be popular. Now that’s something you don’t have already! So, how would you implement becoming popular without taking choice away from man? What about separating mankind into two groups, those who want your fellowship and those who don’t? You know which is which but ordinary men don’t. You could help men to know what group they are in by a simple question, ‘What do you think of God?’ You, as God, would know how each person would reply, but how would an ordinary man know if they gave a truthful response? Well, let him judge by their actions. That works! So time goes by and every man has chosen his group. What then? Let those who want fellowship with God come stay with him and let those who reject God be put in a place without him, without his benefits, like goodness and mercy. Doesn’t that seem fair? He is giving them what they chose but they aren’t satisfied. The naysayers want the benefits without the benefactor. They say, ‘How can God be good when he condemns some men to Hell?’ There is just no pleasing some people.
So what is the first thing you would do if you became God? Maybe you should just do nothing, because being all-knowing and all-powerful, your predecessor has already done everything from the creation of the universe. Since God doesn’t make mistakes, there’s no need to modify his plan. Your predecessor has foreseen that one day he will be surrounded by only those people who think highly of him. He will be loved by everyone he meets and he will deserve their love because of what he has done for them. He has promoted a minion to the status of his own child and brought him into his home to live with him forever. And his adopted child has the wisdom to know that no person could do a better job of running the universe. Unlike Lucifer, he would decline the offer to be in charge, even for a moment. And that is what you should do. Don’t be like many men who chose to be their own God. They simply weren’t built for it.
