A Letter to the Children of Light

Beloved,

Perhaps we’ve started all wrong. I don’t really blame you. I’m the parent and you’re my child. I put you in the world, made you in all aspects and left you to your own will. The point was love, found in freedom, and to be the one you turned to when you didn’t understand.

Everything from the beginning was good. Every aspect and everything given to you to care and tend. The point wasn’t the things given to you but that they represented my love for you, and that you in time would grow into realizing what love actually is–a relationship.

A key aspect of love is that it is a freedom of choice. I can’t very well make it so that all you can do is do what I say and require, now can I? Where is that freedom to choose me? So something had to represent the alternative choice to love, that way you could see that you are free to choose: me or knowledge. 

It isn’t that knowledge is bad in and of itself. It’s very useful. I established it and then wielded it to create. We call this application of knowledge wisdom and it is one of those inherited traits of mine passed down to you. To pursue knowledge and then wield it without me, can be disastrous. And it’s why I asked that you didn’t, because I love you.

But here we are. Taking that on by yourself is in essence telling me you would rather do life without me and worse yet, the realization by that knowledge is that you can’t. Now, the trust between you and me is broken and your choice portrays a brokenness of love on your part. Yet you believe that it is broken on my part and as such you don’t want to know me, or even try to repair our relationship. You choose, over and over, this pursuit of knowledge to try and save yourself. With knowledge you wield creative things that seem to better your life apart from me, or worse yet you think they are things I want and that will restore our relationship. Yet, they serve only you at the cost of creation itself. This is the world’s wisdom apart from me.

How will building these things in your wisdom restore our relationship? How will it restore your faith in me? Don’t you know, knowledge is only useful to you if you rightly use it in your relationship with me? Besides, it can never save you because I’m the One who created it and all things. Only I can save you.

I gave you my instructions–knowledge that displays acts of love. They were created on the foundation of choosing love, not just for loving me first but also the others around you. I explained the consequences of not following them, but you didn’t understand. How could you, you don’t want to come to me to learn. You wanted to continue on your own apart from me.

My instructions were meant to teach, and the consequences of missteps demonstrated the cost to creation and yourself. Still the point of the cost to creation was to show you forgiveness and mercy, founded on love for you, that you might return to me and stay–that you might believe I still love you and that you could come to love me. But your knowledge twisted my instruction into terrifying fear, not reverence for me. Do you think continually paying the cost, or the gifts and rituals, are what I wanted? They represented a greater truth, not a work I require of you. They were meant to teach you about my love and to grow your love and faith in me. What simpler way is there to teach you faith than to ask you for a day during the week in which you stop working to sustain yourself?

Doesn’t love give to each other freely, as I give in my mercy to you day in and day out? Doesn’t love choose to celebrate the one who gives in praise? It doesn’t keep choosing itself, and paying the cost to do so, thinking that living in fear of consequences will save them.

A few understood that fear only shows a deep need. That need is me. That is the beginning of the knowledge of truth. Though the endless promises of the world’s wisdom make you believe it can be fulfilled elsewhere. These promises prey on your fear and obligate and manipulate you. You are broken by it. Love does not do those things. Unfortunately, that is how my instruction was received and taught–in fear of the consequences.

Enough, I said. I’ll get rid of the consequences, and leave the instruction, not as a means to live by but an indication of what a person might look like if they live in the Spirit of love. But how would a person know what love is unless I showed them? So I did that too, displaying what a life in love for me and for others looks like. I removed the consequences, all barriers, so that any person may be restored to me, if they believe me.

Belief has never gone away. It was there at the beginning, and, like love, it is a choice. Please, do not think I have any expectation that you love me right away. I’m not looking for that to start, only that you believe that I can help you and that I love you. I do know it’s difficult. I know your perceptions and experiences and you probably think I’m horrible since there are terrible things happening all the time. That is the outcome of not knowing, loving, and believing me–a will apart from mine. 

Come and see. Come and get to know me yourself, not just what others have said about me. Come know me personally and then you can make your own decision without the biases of others.

I want to give you so much but I know that takes time. Though I would like to lay the foundation of love on your end, we need to clear and level the ground. To do that you’ll need to try to get to know me and I know that is terrifying. I’m not trying to terrify you, I promise. You only need to be willing to give a little bit so that I may show you who I am and give you a taste of my love for you. Then you can decide if you want to continue on. I hope you continue on.

The foundation of love is built on knowing the other person, a willingness to be a little vulnerable in truth with them, and placing the vulnerability in their trust. Do not invite anyone else into this. You can come and talk to me alone, if you’re willing. There is nothing keeping you from me, I’ve taken away your consequences and replaced them with a divine favor, grace, so that you can talk with me if you want. Believe me, please.

I know it is difficult and you might think it strange since I’m not like the other relationships you have. The measure you can trust someone is based on knowing how much they love you, and the only way to know that is to spend time with them. I will pour my love on you if you will spend time with me in truth. I am not after something from you. I’m in pursuit of you.

The outcome of knowing me is that true love–not the world’s understanding of love–will grow in your heart for me and for others. That growing love will also grow your faith in me, and, as we grow closer together, we’ll start to repair the things in your life that actually matter.

Remember, I created everything? So what better person is there to teach you what you need to know and when you need to know it? That is, if you are willing to ask in faith of me then be willing to let me lead you through what comes next. If you’re willing, then you will find that it isn’t a single person, event, place, book, or any one thing in all of creation in which I will teach you. Everything teaches if you’re willing to ask me first and let me show you.

Then the circumstances of your life, which you’re uniquely entangled with, become the means of healing and to shape you into the child I’ve always meant for you to be. Then you’ll begin to understand who I’ve made you to be. Though you don’t understand as you’re going through it, the faith established in my love will let you trust me to do the work that only I can do in your life. Though it is difficult and painful to be reshaped, my love is enough. Again, here is your choice to remain in my love, based on our relationship, even though the circumstances may hurt. I can restore you and all things, but you must believe that and not lose hope.

A relationship with me is forever. It’s not a transaction to fix what you think is broken, and when you’re done you get to move on. That isn’t a relationship founded on love but one that is self-serving. Though you may struggle to understand, and may wander, keep coming back to talk with me and rest in my love. You will come to see and hear in time that truth.

Day by day, as you remain in my love, you’ll change. I will alter your understanding of knowledge to one founded on knowing me in love and faith. You will begin to discern the difference between loving yourself and what you were created to do, which is to love me and others. Instead of knowing about me, you’ll actually know me. I will become the security, joy, and the deep satisfaction you’ve needed, in every aspect of your life–that in your service to fear, guilt, and obligation has never been fulfilled.

Be relentless in your pursuit of me, as I am of you. And when hardship comes, believe the truth that I am here and I love you more than the difficulty. A hardship–that firmness–can be a tool of loving discipline to shape the harder unyielding parts of your life. When you emerge from these circumstances, despite the fear and pain, remaining in my love, your faith and love in me will have grown.

If you’re willing with even the littlest portion of your heart to know me in truth–that is being truly honest from your heart to know me–I will expand that little bit of faith. Little by little it will grow like a seed into a magnificent apple tree sharing in love fruit, life, and shade to those around it.

I see you better than you see yourself. I search your heart and mind and know if you’re willing or not. Be true to seek and know me, and watch what I will do. I will grow it into love and faith that permeates every part of your heart, mind, soul and strength, making you into my child–my child of light. You need only ask in truth, and I will give you myself, my Spirit. That is how much I love you.

Your Creator, Savior, and Life