Do you wish God was real?

[Catholic_Lady]

You have the choice not to.

That doesn't really answer my question.  Having the choice seems like a losing proposition.  Letting god do the choosing works perfectly, letting me do the choosing has a chance of failing with tragic consequences.

Is there a way in which having free will is a benefit for me?  You say it's what makes me who I am.  If who I am is a person who will spend eternity away from god, isn't it better for me to be whoever god decides I am?  Pretend that I have no free will.  Aside from my decision to serve or reject Jesus, how would my life be different?  In what other ways can I use free will, that would make it worthwhile to risk offending god?

I'm being serious here, this isn't a trick question.  Frankly, this whole idea came about from a different topic here and I'm curious as to how Christians approach the question.  I think it's a legitimate concern with the issue of free will, and am wondering if there's something I'm missing.

I don't know what we would be if we didn't have free will. Think about that for a second. This would mean that we would have no control over our bodies or our minds. We would just be empty shells... hand puppets.  We would have no emotions. We would be nothing. I would not exist, and neither would you.

So yes, I'd consider this not existing at all, because that's what it would be.

With free will, we can exist. We still have the choice to try our best to live good lives and love others. I'd rather exist and take my chances with Hell, than not exist at all (which is basically what would mean if I had no free will.)