We sometimes say to ourselves that we are unimportant. That we do not matter in this world. We say our lives are really not important to anyone else. We say we cannot make a difference. We say we do not have any impact on life. In other words, we are saying we don't think we matter very much.

We lose heart thinking this way. And, it does, temporarily, relieve us from feeling any responsibility that we have toward ourselves, our families and our communities.

We blame God and say He allows all these heartbreaking things that happen to us and to every living thing in this world; so we lose even more heart.

We sometimes say it is all God's fault. Well, if not God, satan or the devil. Someone is to blame for the bad things that happen in this world. Must be my neighbour; Maybe far distant neighbours. It surely is not me. It surely is not us!

We cry unto God. We ask Him to take away the torment that seems to shadow us all. But the "response"ibility for the unloving and uncaring treatment of ourselves, our families and our neighbours will not leave us. It is we ourselves that have to stop what we are doing that is unloving and uncaring. We need to turn around.

(Surely, the Lord has already given you Eternal Life. Whether you think you deserve it or not; it is yours. Whether you think you have earned it or not; it is yours. Our beautiful and loving God has already accepted us just as we are. Our beautiful and most merciful and loving Creator loves us beyond measure. O' to contemplate that Beauty brings me to my knees.
So you see, my brothers and sisters, we have much reason to sing and jump for joy. This is The Good News)!

Remember, we are all connected. Whether or not we feel it or whether or not we believe it, we assuredly are. That, we can also see, is the way we were created. We were made to live together as family. That is Reality.

So, we can see, the set Laws of the Universe are perfect. They will not change no matter how hard we pray for that. The set Laws of the Universe are our Anchor! There is where we can put our trust. They will never change. They will never leave us or desert us! Sometimes they are known as the Wrath of God.

If we do not live as we were created to live, things start going very wrong in our inner lives. Naturally we will soon feel a response from without. The set Laws of the Universe are perfectly balanced. We can butt our heads against them. We can deny they exist. But nevertheless, they are still working and running just as smoothly as they did in the Beginning. Our denial that they exist and will not directly affect us does not change the Truth. And, we know it.

It is us that have to change our ways. When we hurt our neighbour, we are in fact hurting ourselves. (Our neighbour, being anyone other than ourselves.)

But, is it also true that when we are loving our neighbour, we are in fact loving ourselves. We can see how far we have come in loving ourselves, our families and our neighbours.

It does not take much intelligence to see this Truth in life. If, for example, we keep putting poison in the air, it will eventually fill our own lungs. It does not matter who is putting the poison out there. All living things will get the "response." So when you weep, weep also for your neighbour. And when you pray, pray also for your neighbour.

There is no reason to point our finger at another and say, " It is your fault because you refuse to love!" We cannot demand another to love. Love has to come from the heart. As you can see in your own life, it is very hard to overcome "feelings." Feelings are very powerful. Feelings are also very deceiving.

What we can do, is be persistent in our own struggle to follow Christ. Ever striving to be the best we can be, each hour of our waking day, to reflect what we most desire: Love and Peace on Earth. In doing that, we will certainly learn the meaning of the words compassion and forgiveness!

(I'd like to interject another thought here, about punishment. Mankind seems to like punishing himself when he thinks he has erred. Because of this, he will naturally want to punish others when they err. And, how we see and treat ourselves is exactly how we will see and treat another. If you think you are more fair to others than you are to yourself, I believe you have a blind spot in your vision. For a man can touch another man's soul only as deeply as he has touched his own.

Retribution is built into the Laws of the Universe. That is why I said they are sometimes called The Wrath of God. You and I will feel and live through the mistakes we make. There is no reason to lay more punishment and grief upon ourselves. In doing that, we hinder our growth. We are preventing ourselves from turning around and moving on toward the Good.
Again remembering, we are an active person in a very large family. You and I will have enough to contend with for the day. Learning to turn around quickly is for the betterment of all. John Walsh, of America's Most Wanted, and his wife, are a very good example of this).

Since we were so beautifully and most wisely created a free individual,
we have great integrity and dignity. Without freedom, these attributes could not exist. You see how this includes all life. You can also see the Beauty of our Loving Heavenly Father.

But, freedom is not free. With freedom comes responsibility. And with responsibility comes response. We will, sooner or later, begin to feel the response of our endeavors. Ours and our neighbours'. Remember, we are connected as one family tree in this world. That is why I say, when you weep, weep also for your neighbour; and when you pray, pray also for your neighbour.

Since the Kingdom of Heaven (God) lives within us, when we harm another living creature in any way, we are holding back the Power of God to work in and through our lives. God will have nothing to do with anything that is not Love. And, God is in-between people. You can surely see, in the power of this Light, just how important we truly are. We are each vital in the execution of the Kingdom of God on Earth!

The animals are innocent. They were not given the power of choice in this matter of whether Reality exits or not. For them, life is Reality. That is why they can teach us so much about ourselves and God. That is why they can teach us how connected we truly are. They teach us that everything that was ever created has its specific purpose in our interwoven pattern of Life, its own revelation. Without it, things start to go very wrong in our intricate existence together. Animals and Nature reflect the beauty of God naturally. They also speak very loudly the Laws of the Universe.

They are made out of the same Love as you and me. Remember, not a single sparrow falls to the earth without the knowledge of its Creator. That's how much they are loved.

We are different from the animals because we have the ability to choose how we will live our lives. Our main choice, it seems, is whether or not we will honour life.

I might add, a person that says he does not believe in a God at all, can live a very honourable and good life. He may sit at the head of our table when we meet our Maker. An atheist may not believe in God, but God believes in him. An atheist is just not aware of the Name of his Prod. That inner Voice that prods us toward living Love.

There are many names for God. But, there is only one Spirit. I have noticed in my own personal experiences, I tend to automatically call Him Lord. That surprised even myself. I tend to think of God as God and Jesus the Christ as Lord. To say the least, is not easy for me to understand the magnitude of God. I cannot fathom how He can be personally with me and yet also with everyone else at the same time! That, is beyond the word awesome.

I would also like to add: Because our neighbour is a connecting part of ourselves, it is not important who raises us, but how we are reared that is important. We can truly love our fellowman. We can truly love those children that we have not ourselves bore.

Reality seems to have a cold and stern face. Reality is Truth. Reality teaches us that we are a responsible people. Reality teaches us everything we need to know.

Reality teaches us how to be happy and how to live together in peace. Reality teaches us how very connected we all are. Reality teaches us that we will have the responses from whatever we and our neighbour sends out into the world, be it good, be it bad. Reality teaches us that Love is the only way to live in this world to obtain any sense of lasting joy, happiness or peace in our hearts.

God is Love, Truth and Reality.

The next time you feel you are unimportant and feel you do not matter or have any impact on life, remember these words. Remember that to Love is the only responsibility you need carry. And Love is the most powerful force in the world. Therefore, if you live Love, everything else will fall into place, as God can then work with you. And if God be behind you, who can stand against you!