What is self-will all about? Surprisingly, self-will, which is embedded in self-interest, is actually a gift of God. But how could something potentially so ugly be a gift of God? It’s because life here on earth demands that we either take care of ourselves or die. And God has placed in each of us the compelling drive to live. We hang on to life with all we’ve got! This can clearly be seen in the way man tries his utmost to enhance and extend his life in any way possible. Only the hopeless cause life to abruptly end, or allow it to simply waste away.
And added to this powerful need to cling to life is man’s yearning for significance. Significance is another of God’s gifts essential to our being because our need for meaning and purpose provides the underlying motivation for reaching toward God’s purpose for us. We possess an inherent need to feel important—to have a healthy sense of self-worth. This need is rooted in the fact that we truly are valuable, yet often unaware that it is so.