"We could describe our situation like this: we must trust and obey in order to rise to the full stature of sons and daughters, to mature into the image of God, to grow into adult roles in the drama of redeeming the world. God has in mind not just what we should be but also what, one day, we could be. God wants not slaves but intelligent children. God wants from us not numb obedience but devoted freedom, creativity, and energy. That's what the grace of God is for---not simply to balance a ledger but to stimulate the spurts of growth in zeal, in enthusiasm for shalom, in good hard work, in sheer delicious gratitude for the gift of life in all its pain and all its wonder. In short, we are to become responsible beings: people to whom God can entrust deep and worthy assignments, expecting us to make something significant of them---expecting us to make something significant of our lives . None of us simply finds herself here in the world. None of our lives is an accident. We have been called into existence, expected, awaited, equipped and assigned."

-----Cornelius Plantinga Jr., "Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin"