Each one of us, at one time or another during our lives, has considered this question. From Pope to drunk, none of us is immune from questioning the existence of God. Conversely, it is hard not to believe in God. We see the existence of God in the face of every mother looking upon their newborn child. We see God every time a starving person is fed by a stranger. We see him when tragedy strikes and we come together to help those in need. When cancer goes into remission, there is God. When failure turns to fortune, it is God at work. God is everywhere we look. 

    Human beings are all born with a unique "creativity gene".  We are most human when we are creative. What the mind can imagine, we can create. We are happiest when we are engaged in some creative pursuit. We use this "creativity gene" to control and alter our environment to suit our needs. It is no coincidence that we are happiest when we are creating and feeling in control of our lives and our future.  I like to refer to this "creativity gene" as a "god seed". In a very real sense we are all god-like by virtue of being human.  For those who believe in God, events and circumstances in their lives unfold in accordance with God's divine plan. Fate and destiny are, thus, predetermined. Every success, failure, life event, birth, death, illness, recovery and experience are mapped out pursuant to God's life plan. Growing up a devote Catholic, I was told "if it's God's will, then God's will be done". The notion that there is a plan for each one of us comforts us like a warm blanket on a cold winter's day. While comforting at times, it does create a conundrum. Believing in a God requires that we relinquish control over our lives to God.  How can we give up control over our lives to God and at the same time believe we are in control of our lives? If there is a God and this God is directing our lives, then how is it possible to have any real control over the outcome of our lives? Are not our successes and failures in life, then,  all predetermined or controlled by God? So there is quite a disconnect in believing in God and being human. How can we have one without giving up the other?

    The answer is you can't. You cannot believe in God and believe you are in control of your life. The fact is, God does not control our lives, influence our lives or alter the course of our lives. Each one of us is in total control of our lives. Our successes and failures in life are determined, not by some divine entity, but by our thoughts followed by our actions. This single divine entity, whose existence we have come to accept as factual, cannot possibly exist if we are to accept that we are each in control of our lives.  How we live each day determines how our lives unfold, not a God. Our daily habits, good or bad, are the reasons for our successes or failures in our lives. If we have adopted good daily habits and live these good daily habits each and every day, then we will have success in our lives. If we have adopted bad daily habits and live these bad daily habits each and every day, then we will have failure in our lives. If our good daily habits are directed toward the goal of becoming wealthy, then we will achieve that goal in our lives. If our good daily habits are directed toward the goal of raising successful children, then we will achieve that goal in our lives. If our good daily habits are directed toward the goal of becoming a successful professional tennis player, then we will achieve that goal as well. It's all in our daily habits. Unfortunately, most individuals are not even aware of the good or bad daily habits they live every day, nor of their implications. It is the very reason why the secret to success is still a secret to most. 

    Instead of accepting responsibility for the outcomes of our lives, we all too often wrap ourselves around the belief that our circumstances are being controlled by God. It is God's plan at work. We are poor, ill, failing, neglected, not because we are doing something wrong, but because it is God's will. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is our daily habits that determine the outcome of our lives. We are in control of our lives. No one else.