How To Make God Smile
- olivierbranford
- Dec 18, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 25
There is a quote by Woody Allen “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” So stands the question: Why do our plans make God laugh? This is because our plans are based on our ego, which definitely does not run the Universe.
Woody Allen said “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”
When we plan, we think that we are above life’s events, as if we can plan the future that is already set in the Universe's or 'God’s' view. This is completely unjustified, and this is the meaning of our plans making God laugh. In other words, from the perspective of the higher force - the force we call "the Universe", “God,” “the Creator,” or “Nature” that is way beyond our very intellect and emotions, which created and develops them and which has planned every detail of reality - then the fact that we think that we can somehow plan outside or differently to the plan that is already in place, is indeed a ridiculous notion.
Making plans is like trying to nail a pudding to the wall - it’s a sticky business and it usually ends in a mess and chaos. Our life planning often feels like creating a meticulously crafted blueprint for a sandcastle, only to be surprised by a tidal wave called fate. And that’s where the humour comes in!
We all know it: Those days when everything just goes wrong. You spill your coffee on your white shirt just before an important meeting, your dog eats your completed project, or your car breaks down in the middle of rush-hour traffic. Welcome to the wonderful world of Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong! Mishaps are inevitable in life. But don’t worry - laughter is the best medicine against Murphy’s Law! So grab a cup of (hopefully unspilt) coffee and enjoy the little disasters of everyday life with a twinkle in your eye. Laughter in difficult times is like an umbrella in a storm - it may not keep you dry, but at least it lets you skip through the puddles in style. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Can we then live without plans? We can live without plans if we put our plans aside and accept the plans of the next, higher level. What kinds of plans are these? What plan do we then live by? We then live by the plan of the Universe, the Creator, the single invincible force of love, bestowal, and connection that has already planned our entire existence. Nothing happens in God's world by chance; nothing. As the greatest scientist who ever lived, who was also a spiritual Master, Albert Einstein, said "God does not play dice." Letting the Universe take over is the way of miracles.
We can then imagine that we want only to be in close contact with this force. Such a 'plan' does not make God laugh, it makes him (or her) smile. We can then organise ourselves to wish to enter into such a contact, and then we place no importance on what actually happens to us because we hold to our life’s ultimate force, which is beyond our plans, thoughts, and emotions. In such a state, we also have no interest in knowing the Creator’s plans. We simply give ourselves over to the Creator, and let the upper plan in Nature guide us. That is, we enter into complete agreement with it. We take one step at a time into the darkness, and the light follows us, always. For this you will need a guide. If you can see the whole path ahead of you, you are mistaken, and it's not your path. Life really is one step at a time in the present moment.
God then does not laugh at our plans, but smiles and rejoices in the way we direct our desires at connection with Him. Our own plans are always connected to self-pride or ego, that we separate ourselves as an individual entity, seemingly outside of the Creator’s rule. The Creator ultimately wants us to remove this layer of self-pride and ego from ourselves because it greatly limits the extent to which we can truly perceive, sense, and delight in the reality He created. We need to eventually realise that self-pride - the self-serving individual ego that gives us a perception of separation, incompleteness, and transience - is a quality that does only harm to us and actually limits our infinite possibility and Real Personal Power.
This is the difference between goals and intuition. Most coaches obsess about making goals. The problem with a goal is that it doesn't take into account that we are not in control of the Universe. Goals are also limiting, so when we focus on goals we fail to see infinite possibility. Most coaches focus on goals as if they are a 'to-do list'. This makes them mundane routine tasks, not infinite visions. And they are out of our control anyway.
In an era characterised by chaos and more and more people’s plans completely falling apart in this dysfunctional society, the ability to deal with such difficulties depends on how we can prepare ourselves for the fact that our plans may not materialise, and that we will have to change our plans to God’s plan. By doing so, we will be able to truly enjoy a harmonious, peaceful, abundant, and infinitely powerful life.
The art of improvisation lies in not only accepting the unexpected, but also welcoming it with open arms. After all, who needs rigid plans? Let’s rather seek adventure and see every day as a new opportunity! Amor Fati - the Stoic saying which means 'Love your fate.'
God is the author of your life, so quit trying to steal the pen.
God is still writing your story. Stop trying to steal the pen. Trust the author.
In other words, we make our plans, but in the end, what transpires is according to the Creator’s will. We need to make plans, but we need to also convince ourselves that what will materialise is the Creator’s plan and not our own. The beneficial message here for planning our lives is then to do as we best deem fit, but the outcome will be as the Creator decides. We should thus add “If the Creator wills” to every plan we make in life. This is why so many prayers state "Thy will, not mine, be done." This is the key to infinite abundance and Real Personal Power.
What can we do about it? Instead of making plans, (aka egocentric dreams), focus on conscious contact with God. This is achieved through prayer and meditation. Pray "Thy will, not mine, be done." When you meditate, you will hear an inner voice of intuition in the silence. This is the Universe telling you how to act and what choice to make at the fork in the road that is your life. Take that action, then let go of the outcome. Being attached to a specific outcome is the prime source of misery in this world. The only way to control your life is to let go of control: This is the paradox. Don't be attached to outcomes. Practise non-resistance to what is.
Simply remain present at all times. And when confronted with any decision, simply ask during meditation “What would God/love do now?” This is how we will make a humble God out of you. Control is the opposite of Faith. This is how we access higher consciousness. This is the miracle of letting go.
Chaos has its own charm. It’s these unpredictable moments that make us laugh (when we are not immersed in ego) and add colour to our everyday lives. So grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy the show! You are the observer, the witness, not the director of the show. The sooner that you realise this, the more at peace and full of joy you will be. Once you realise your powerlessness, and allow your Higher Self to be guided by intuition, the sooner your life will be replete with joy, peace, infinite power and possibility. Rather than making you powerless, this makes you power-Full. And rather than making God laugh, you will make him smile...
Namaste.
Olly
Dr Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD.
Fully qualified and certified coach
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Dr Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD
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