Every day I feel is a blessing from God. And I consider it a new beginning. Yeah, everything is beautiful. ~ Prince
There’s a lot of talk now-a-days about how the world began. Scientists believe it all started billions and billions of years ago, part of a cosmic explosion, a random event that put our entire solar system in place. Others believe that this beautiful blue marble we live on was no random act but was created purposefully by a loving creator.
What do you believe about creation?
Know that I’m not here to debate these issues. In fact, rather than holding to an either/or view of creation, I’m a both/and kind of person. As I see it, our universe is an ancient piece of art, a living and ever-expanding icon that points to the existence of one amazing Owner/Operator who obviously has a lot more creative ability than my little pea-brain could ever hold.
But, for our purposes here, I’d like to go to the beginnings of not our planet, but to the beginning of your life. You see, human beings are unique creatures, indeed. We are the only living organisms on this planet that have the ability to reason or give thought to things. The fact that you and I are communicating right now about creation and a creator is reason enough to believe in the uniqueness of humankind.
And one of the major issues that must be firmly established for those of us who have decided to pursue good in this lifetime, is the reality that at the very core of each human being is something very good.
What do you believe about this?
Do you believe that you are good? Even, very good?
Have you experienced that other people out there are good as well? Even, very good?
And speaking of good, this might be a very good place for you to stop and remember those around you who have been good to you over the years. Don’t worry, I’ll wait right here for you while you take a few moments to recall their names.
…take a few moments here to reflect on those people & what they mean to you…
Now, back to our discussion.
Sadly, there are many religious folks who will not agree with me on this fact that you are good at your very core. You’ve probably run across your share of well-meaning religious zealots who have tried their best to convince you that you are a dirty-rotten sinner who needs to repent (turn away from) your sin. Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I do believe that there is a lot of bad stuff inside you and me that we must deal with in order for us to be pursuers of good. But, in truth, I just cannot go along with those who insist that, at my very core being, I’m a sinner.
As I see it, you and I, and all of our brothers and sisters in the human race are magnificent creations of our loving Creator. The best of the very best. The cream of the crop. As a matter of fact, the Scriptures state it clearly…
Then (Our Creator) said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So, (Our Creator) created mankind in His own image, in the image of (Our Creator) He created them; male and female He created them. (Our Creator) blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”Then (Our Creator) said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Our Creator) saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. [1]
In truth, my dear friend, you are good…very good indeed!
So, please. Allow me to stop here for a moment and might I encourage you to simply sit with this truth…
Despite all the bad you have experienced in your life. Despite all the bad you see in yourself. Despite all the ugly things you’ve said and done in this lifetime. And despite all the bad you have had done to you…at your very core being, the truest thing that can be said about you is that you are very good.
I’ll go one step further and add this fact…
You not only are very good at your core, but you are very loveable…dearly loved, in fact, by our Creator. The One who created you, the Maker of the universe who planned you from the very beginning, is not distant from you, but sees you as loveable and is desiring you to know in the deepest parts of your mind and heart that despite your bad experiences in this life, you are very good and you are deeply loved.
Quite honestly, if you don’t go any further beyond this page, and you walk away with this one truth then I will be satisfied. For in a world where bad seems to prevail so very often, those who are pursuers of good will always need to have at their very core the knowledge that they are good people and that they are loveable. You must grasp this truth in order to go any further. So, repeat after me:
I am good. I am very good. I am loveable and I am deeply loved.
[1] Genesis 1: 26-31 (NIV, with the word God replaced with Our Creator.) It seems that the word God has lost a lot of its meaningful significance in today’s society. Sadly, it’s a word many people argue over and even start wars concerning its meaning. I’m choosing here, for the sake of you, my reader, to replace this one three-letter word with the phrase Our Creator.
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