"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." (Romans 8:20-21 NIV)
"For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (Romans 8:20-21 ESV)
Truth is hard, no matter which translation you are reading.
Romans 8:20-21 is a great example of that kind of truth that is difficult to absorb, no matter the number of times it is read. Why? Because at the heart of this verse is a truth that none of us want to hear, that this world, (including the souls that have and are currently inhabiting this world), is not designed for our personal satisfactions, dreams, ambitions, and relationships.
Instead we are told, by God, that this world is destined for frustration, discomfort, and pain, so that in it's dying gasps it (and we) will hopefully recognize our need for redemption and upon acceptance of this eternal gift, will then be freed from the shackles of sin to live in glory with God forever, and ever.
But in the now, the reality in which we all live, we are not going to get the story that we feel like we deserve. We are definitely not going to get the story that we have all dreamed. So the easy, reflexive action is to blame God, or disavow any knowledge or allegiance of said God, who would have the audacity to not allow us the live of comfort and ease that we all deserve.
But is that the correct response?
The problem with that choice is that it defies the overall arc of the bigger story. It removes the story of the redemption of the One who created everything. It removes the terrible price that He paid for our freedom. It removes Him from having an emotional response to His creation floundering in futility.
He is not immune to our pain, our desperate cries for help, He is not apathetic to our situations, He is not devoid of sadness because of the troubles, caused and uncaused that we all face. He is our Father and His love for us surpasses all that we can imagine. He is also not oblivious to the fact that our story is tainted by sin, so is His story.
His plans for us did not include the pain of choosing disobedience in the Garden. His dreams for His children did not include the many, many ways that His children have devised to harm each other and His creation. His plans did not include the fall of 1/3 of His angels, who chose to attempt a coup, to overthrow the One who created them!
None of this was God's perfect plan.
But once His creation was cursed, due to our sin, He immediately designed a new plan, a plan to free those enslaved by their own disobedience. A plan to included allowing all Creation to discover the futility of choosing any other options but Him. He laid bare the pathway to freedom, paid for by His Son, Jesus. A new plan, a plan of perfection through the journey of pain to the destination of glory.
The dreams and ambitions that you possess are not bad, and if they mirror God's desires for your live our divine in nature. But they are also held back by the environment in which they try to prosper, and without the help of God Almighty, we will not only never achieve our dreams in this world, but worse, we will miss the chance to fulfill all our dreams in the world to come.
