I have been given a blessed a life, never wanting for sustenance or substance. Raised by loving parents that buttered my daily bread and nourished my demanding brain. A life made possible because a young fifteen-year-old teenager made the selfless decision to put me up for adoption. A life made possible because a young couple in their twenties, or this case the Young couple, made the selfless decision to plant me into their family. A life made possible because God created me and has always loved me even as I struggled to fully open my heart to Love.
Now, almost sixty years later, I’ve also been bestowed with the gift of time. An extended earthly existence that other people in my life weren’t given for whatever reason. My multitude of days and years is something many humans weren’t given for whatever reason. An observation that’s beautiful and burdensome.
Now retired, my days are drowning in time. A life I never could have imagined twenty years ago when I futilely chased the false faith of standing and stuff. A life that will leave anyone as quickly as it came because this culture values you as an object, not a subject. My time here memorialized by a record of regrets, reflections and riddles.
The path I took didn’t include raising a child(ren). A subject whose answer is revealed in my memoir. A subject that saddens my soul as I ponder all things in my heart and process them in my head.
Nonetheless, I sometimes think about what counsel I would have given my child. What wise words would I offer to them? All the while knowing that love is all that matters. God is love.
So, begins my guidance to the child I never knew.
Dear (insert name),
You are more loved than you’ll ever know. You exist because God, the Creator of all life, believes that you are so invaluable and so irreplaceable that you should be part of creation; that’s how much God loves you. Never forget these words because evil will try to convince you otherwise.
God will always love you and will never abandon you, even when you are tempted to abandon God. Your worth and value as a human being is because you reflect the Divine; a child of God. You have nothing to prove to any person and no human, or institution holds claim over you. You belong exclusively to God both now and forever.
Everyone and everything in your life, including your own life, is a gift. A mindset of thankfulness and a heart full of gratitude will serve you well throughout your journey in this realm. Never forget that stuff and status are fleeting. The more your heart desires these earthly things, the further they will separate your heart from God.
You are cherished, but so is every person and every creature. Lead with humility, kindness and generosity towards everyone. Not only will your life be richer but so will the world.
Everyone, including you, will have good and not so good days. Give others the grace that God gives you daily because love requires nothing less. Give yourself grace when you fail because God faithfully loves you.
Question everything while trusting in the Truth of God. Constantly pursue truth because nothing terrifies evil more than truth. Never forget that evil is a parasite. It cannot create, so it will use deceit and deception to distort God’s good world.
Be honest with everyone in everything that you do including how you earn your income. Your labor, like everything in your life, should be about the betterment of all people not solely the enrichment of yourself and your people. We are created as caretakers of this earthly garden. Its abundance is intended to be shared particularly with those who lack the means necessary to care for themselves.
Your time here is but a blink in the eye of the cosmos. The world is far more beautiful than you could ever imagine, so explore it while you are able too. See, touch, taste, smell and hear it all because life is a symphony of the senses that God wants to share with all of us.
When twilight time arrives, have no fear of the night. It’s nothing more than a seasonal sign that you are returning back home to me and to God. All that any of us will carry over this earthly threshold is the love that we create; may your heart be loaded with love. I know mine is because you are forever my child.
Peace. God loves you.
If you want to learn more about how my spiritual awakening came to be, you can read about it in Finding God in Vegas: A Gen X Spiritual Awakening; available on Amazon and across all platforms in print or electronic or audio.