Distinguishing...

How do we distinguish between God's plans for us, our plans, and even the evil that we sometimes mistake as God's plan for us?

Alot of times we say well it was God's plan, or God's will. What about the bad, sad, horrible things that happen in this world? Is it really God speaking to us or trying to get our attention? I think that sometimes we think that the bad around us must be God's plan since maybe he didn't stop it, or prevent it. He didn't intervene...why?

What is it exactly that God is trying to get across when He makes bad things happen to us? There is something wrong with that question - God doesn't make bad things happen to us. We may be mistaking evil for God's will. Or even our own free will and choices that we ourselves make...

I asked my friend if God disciplines us by causing terrible things to happen to us, like the way shepherds would break a sheep's leg in order to protect them and get them to listen to the Shepherd. This was her response, "No God doesn't do that. We live in a fallen world and those things happen. I think the Shepherd did that to put the sheep in time out, so to speak, so it can be still and heal. What's interesting is when a bone is broken it grows back even stronger."

Distinguishing correctly - not a simple thing to do. It's so easy to blame God for all that goes bad. But we do live a fallen world, where evil and our own free will reign.

Psalm 23:1-3
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.