I had a dream where I was able to ask God a few questions. It went like this:
"Come in," God said to me, "what would you like to ask me?"
"Do you have the time," I began tentatively.
God smile and said "My precious child, I have all the time to talk to you. My time is called eternity and is enough to do everything. What questions do you have?"
I asked.
"What's the one thing that surprises you most about humankind?"
God answered,
"That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.
That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.
That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future.
That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived..."
God held my hands in his and we were silent as we thought about his response.
After a while, I asked if I could pose another question, which was this:
"If you were a parent, what would you ask your children to do?"
He replied with a smile.
"To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved.
To learn that it takes years to build trust, and a few seconds to destroy it.
To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.
To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. There will be others better or worse off than they are.
To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most, but who is contented with everything they already have.
To learn that they should control their attitudes, otherwise their attitudes will control them.
To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them.
To learn that one learns to forgive by practicing forgiveness.
To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to show their feelings.
To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.
To learn that while at times they may be entitled to be upset, that does not give them the right to upset those around them.
To learn that great dreams do not require great wings, but a landing gear to achieve.
To learn that true friends are scarce, he/she who has found one has found a true treasure.
To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they forgive themselves. To learn that they are masters of what they keep to themselves and slaves of what they say.
To learn that they shall reap what they plant; if they plant gossip they will harvest intrigues, if they plant love they will harvest happiness.
To learn that true happiness is not to achieve their goals but to learn to be satisfied with what they already achieved. Happiness is a decision: that they can determine to be happy with what they are and have, or die from envy and jealousy of what they lack.
To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.
To learn that those who are honest with themselves without considering the consequences go far in life.
To learn that even though they may think they have nothing to give, when a friend cries with them, they find the strength to appease the pain.
To learn that by trying to hold on to love ones, they very quickly push them away; and by letting go of those they love, they will be side by side forever.
To learn that even though the word "love" has many different meanings, it loses value when it is overstated.
To learn that they can never do something extraordinary for Me to love them; I just simply do love them.
The shortest distance they could be from Me is the distance of a prayer."
I awoke from my dream and remembered everything He had said. I will write this up and read it frequently to remind myself of these great truths!
