Tuesday 30 July 2013

When Bad Things Happen To Good People and God is biting the bullet theodicy (Free Sample Chapter) Merton Lee



 Extracted from Merton Lee's  "When Bad Things Happen To Good People  (God Explains Life's Mysteries, Problems and Wisdom)"
  Published at  Amazon.com  June  2013
  Available at  Amazon.com  Kindle eBook  and paperback 

Dedicated to Dr Billy Graham, Dr Charles Stanley,
Dr Charles Swindoll,  Dr Rick Warren,
Brother David Steindl-Rast,  Ms Elisabeth Elliot,
Ms Oprah Winfrey,  Ms Joni Eareckson Tada,
Mr Harold Kushner, Mr Philip Yancey,
Mr Don Piper, Professor Eugene Peterson,
Thich Nhat Hanh, Dr Roger Walsh,  Ram Dass,
Dr Jack Kornfield,  Ms Sharon Salzberg,
Ms Sylvia Boorstein,  Dr Wayne Dyer,
Ms Louise Hay, Mr Eckhart Tolle and Mr Gary Zukav
for their warmth, love and encouragement
which they keep bringing to us
in the different seasons of life.   


           Did you ever wonder: Why is there something rather than nothing?  

           To quote the well-known question of Stephen Hawking: Why does the universe go through all the bother of existing?  

           Or may I ask: Why did God go through the bother of creating us and this world?
But does God exist?  If positive, how do I find Him?  How do I find out who am I?  What is the purpose of my life? 
If God is all-knowing, all-good and all-powerful, why does He allow undeserved suffering? 
If God is all-knowing, all-good and all-powerful, why do bad things happen to good people?
How do Christians, religious believers and followers of God respond when non-believers, agnostics or skeptics quote from the daily newspapers those accidents, crimes or natural disasters that resulted in undeserved suffering and untimely deaths? 
Dr Rick Warren’s bestselling book The Purpose-Driven Life emphasizes that life on earth is not about us, that our life on earth is not an accident and that we are born to serve God’s purposes. 
Perhaps we may wonder:  How do we find out that life on earth is not about us, that we are here to serve God’s purposes? How do we obtain God’s answers to: Why did He create us and this world?  How do we obtain God’s answers to:  What are His purposes for us on earth?
In addition, did you ever experience a sense of meaninglessness?  Did you ever experience the need to find your real life purpose?   
In the past few years, I liked to discuss with my friends on religious faith, the meaning of life and why bad things happen to good people.  To initiate the discussion, I would read the following article [1] which I wrote “Can You Guess Who am I?”: 

          “Can you guess my real identity?  Can you guess who am I?
Before you start guessing, please don’t be deceived by my masks.  I am wearing many social masks at home, at the school, at the workplace and at all types of social gathering.  I am trying to show that I am confident, I am happy, I am popular ...  But deep inside, I am uncertain.
Please don’t be deceived by my smiles and laughter, by my jokes and gossip.  I am trying to hide my doubts.  I am trying to hide my weariness.     
Please don’t be deceived by my occasional excitement about life.  I am tired of trying to outperform others.  I am tired of trying to get ahead and obtain those prizes.  I am tired of living my life as if it were a continuous emergency.   I am tired of being frightened of losing my job and my friends.  How can I find tranquillity?  How can I find inner peace?
I am equally tired of not understanding my real needs and goals in life.  Is it because I do not truly know my life purpose that I am pursuing external success and sense pleasures, so as to try to fill the emptiness inside?
Please tell me how I can find my life purpose.  So many bad things and unhappy events had happened to me.  Many of them were unfair. They had eroded my faith in God.  Please tell me whether there is a God.  Please tell me how I can find Him.
By the way, do you know who am I?  Have you guessed who am I?  Yes, you are right.  I am your neighbor.  I am your colleague.  I am your boss.  I am your cousin.  I am your niece.  I am your uncle.  I am your aunt.  I am your brother.  I am your sister.  I am your child.  I am your spouse.  I am the everyday man or woman you meet on the street.  Yes, I am also you ... Please help me, God.

This book aims to provide useful perspectives, responses and answers to these critical questions.   May we begin by revisiting a famous story called “Footprints”.  I have revised it based on deep insights I received six months ago.  This new version reflects the hope, love and truth which God brings to us in the changing seasons of life.  To quote Thomas Merton’s memorable words in his introduction to the Japanese translation of The Seven Storey Mountain: "I seek to speak to you, in some way, as your own self. Who can tell what this may mean?  I myself do not know, but if you listen, things will be said that are perhaps not written in this book. And this will be due not to me but to the One who lives and speaks in both ..."

Footprints
(New Version)

Jesus said: “The kingdom of God is within you.”
                                             (Luke 17:21)

Saint Teresa of Avila:
“Christ has no body but yours,
no hands and no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
with compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Yours are the hands with which he blesses the world.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The soul in man is the background of our being From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all.

Helen Keller:  “I believe that God is in me as the sun is in the color and fragrance of a flower.”

Pope John Paul II:  “Man’s life comes from God.”

Mother Teresa:  “It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into the doing that matters.”

Corrie ten Boom:  “God values us not for our strength or our brains, but simply because He has made us.”

A middle-aged man dreamed that he had become a spiritual being and that he was walking on a beach together with God, the divine Spirit.   They left two trails of footprints in the sand behind them.  
Scenes of the man’s life flashed across the sky.  The man observed that during the pleasant days of his life as shown across the sky, there were two trails of footprints behind them. He knew that God was walking beside him during the pleasant days.  But during the difficult days, he observed only one trail of footprints. 
Assuming that the one trail of footprints belonged to him and that God had abandoned him during the difficult times, the man enquired why he was left alone to handle the difficulties.
God explained, "You are My precious child.  I will never leave you.  During your difficult times, when you see one trail of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
The man thanked God.  Nevertheless he was perplexed by the answer.  Inwardly he reasoned that if God were all-knowing, all-good and all-powerful, why God did not remove or reduce the trials and suffering in his life.
          Being all-knowing, God was aware of the man’s reasoning.  God further explained, “Please realize that I will not let you bear the cross unless it reveals the eternal life within you.  I will not let you bear the cross unless it is for your eternal best, unless it contributes to the long-term well-being of humankind.”
The man nodded and thanked God.  He enquired, “May I know what is my real identity?  Do I have a soul?”
“Yes, you have a soul,” God saidLet Me explain.  I more than carried you during your difficult timesAll along I have been living inside you in the form of spiritual essence.   Your body is temporary.  Your spiritual essence or your soul is eternal.  It is a part of Me.  It is always wholesome, pure and intact.  No people and no events in the world can affect it.  Nothing can impair it.  Nothing can defile it.  It is an individualised portion of My essence and cosmic consciousness.  It is always wholesome.
The man thanked God and enquired, “Do I return to heaven after I die?”
God continued, “You are My precious child.  You are a spiritual being. This is your real identity.  You are always connected to My love.  Your soul will return to My kingdom when your journey on earth ends.”
The man asked, “Thank You for explaining to me my real identity.  May I enquire how do I find You?  How do I know that You are with me all the time?”
God said, You can catch glimpses of My presence when you expand your awareness and let go of self-seeking thoughts, feelings and desires.  This can happen when you are walking along the seaside, enjoying the warm sunshine, the wide blue sky and the rhythm of the waves.  This can happen when you are enjoying the beauty of a sunset or the whispering of a stream or the tranquillity of a lake.  This can happen when you are listening to inspiring music or reading a devotional book or poem.  This can happen when you are amazed by the splendor of a sunrise or the beauty of a clear night sky filled with glimmering stars.
“Another effective way to expand your awareness is to learn to meditate.  It makes you realize that “thoughts, ideas, feelings and desires” are momentary and fleeting.  They are flashes of mental energy which arise and pass away.  They are not permanent. They are not your selfhood or personality.  They are not your real identity. 
“Your real identity is a spiritual being.  Thus, when you meditate and learn not to chase after momentary thoughts, feelings and desires, slowly you experience mental stillness and tranquillity.  Slowly you discover the pure consciousness within you. This pure consciousness is one of My attributes.  It is also an attribute of your soul. What you suffered in life, I also suffered and experienced through the pure consciousness living inside you.   I am your Living God.   I am living inside you during your good days and during your times of suffering and afflictions.  By experiencing your suffering and afflictions, I can truly understand.”
The man nodded and listened attentively.    
God said, “I created the visible universe.  I am the Giver of life.  I am the Source of your hope and strength.  You are My precious child.  Nothing can separate you from My love.  You can look forward to rejoining Me in heaven when your journey on earth ends.  You can be assured that I will transform your suffering into ultimate good.  This is how I am truly your heavenly Father.”
The man enquired, “May I know what is my life purpose on earth? How do I fulfil it?” 
God explained, “You are My precious child on earth serving an eternal purpose.  To fulfil this purpose, your soul is combined with a human body.  Your waking consciousness is given freedom of choice.  Your purpose is to become spiritually aware. In this way your waking consciousness will become receptive to the voice of your soul, the voice of your conscience.
“Gradually you realise the difference between the kind intentions of your soul and selfish desires.  You learn to make a commitment to follow the voice of your soul.  You choose to be responsible to Me in your daily thoughts, words and deeds.  You learn to become spiritually mature.  You extend helping hands to the needy.  Compassion is realised.  This contributes to the moral dimension of life. 
“Spiritual maturity is difficult.  It requires daily moral commitment. It requires you to choose simplicity, kindness and selfless service. It requires endurance during the trying times and reliance on My strength. It requires you to become My instrument of peace, My vessel of love. 
“The Moments of Truth come when you face a deep personal crisis, when you face the loss of your loved ones, when your life is shattered into pieces, when you face death itself.  During these Moments, will you choose to follow Me day by day until your last breath? 
“When you make this choice and follow Me day by day,  despite adversities, despite your doubts, grief, fear and agony, holding on to the belief that I am divine Truth and Goodness, the Significance of these Moments is fulfilled.  This is the hard-won, selfless faith the universe and I have been waiting for.  This is the precious human resolve, commitment and goodwill the universe and I have been waiting for.  It gives birth to and actualizes the quality of moral resolve in the visible world.  This is the Significance of why I chose to suffer together with you.”
The man thanked God and asked, “I understand that if a person committed a harmful wrongdoing, he would feel guilty.  He should repent and seek Your forgiveness.  He should find constructive ways to make amends in the remaining days of his life on earth.  May I enquire whether there is cosmic justice for those who committed wrongdoing and did not repentHow do these unrepentant people compensate for their harmful wrongdoing if they avoided legal punishment on earth?”  
“Please be assured that there is cosmic justice,” God explained.   “Upon the death of the body, the disembodied soul will be assessed by My Holy Spirit.  If this soul during its journey on earth had worked in harmony with the body and its mental states and it had contributed to human well-being, it will be given a choice.  It can choose to return to My kingdom or begin another human journey on earth, so as to further contribute to the moral dimension of life.
“If a soul during its journey on earth had endured undeserved suffering and untimely death, it can choose to return to My kingdom or begin another human journey, so as to contribute to the moral dimension of life. 
“If a soul during its journey on earth were not able to work in harmony with the body and its mental states, and the human body committed harmful wrongdoing due to selfish desires, upon the death of the body, My Holy Spirit will direct this soul to embark on another or more human journeys on earth. This will provide opportunities where it can contribute to human well-being. When it has sufficiently contributed, it can return to My kingdom.”
The man thanked God and asked, “For centuries, humankind sought to find out why God created this world.  May I enquire on this age-old question?”
God replied, It is time for Me to reveal why I created the visible world.  Since eternity I have existed.  I am the divine Source.  I am the Living God.  I am the eternal One in the timeless Dimension.  I am all-knowing, all-good and all-powerful in the timeless Dimension. 
“First, My omniscience in the timeless Dimension is all-sufficient.  I know the past, the present and the future.  I do not need to create a visible world to complement or prove it.  If I wished to create a visible world so as to experience and enjoy it, I can create many types of visible worlds which are peaceful, beautiful and pleasant, without the occurrences of natural and moral evils, without the existence of human beings. Such peaceful and beautiful worlds will be congruent with My knowledge and wisdom.  I do not need to create the type of visible world which human beings currently experience which is marked by existential uncertainty and suffering.
“Second, My omnipotence in the timeless Dimension is all-sufficient.  I do not need to create a visible world to complement or prove it.  If I wished, I can create and eliminate visible worlds without human beings or creatures inhabiting them.   If I wished, I can create beautiful and peaceful worlds so as to enjoy them, without the occurrences of natural and moral evils, without the existence of human beings.  This is congruent with My power and wisdom. 
“Third, being all-good, I am Holiness.  I am divine Goodness. But I am also divine Oneness.  As divine Oneness in the timeless dimension, I do not have a physical body or bodies.  I do not live in a space-time dimension.  I am not individualized.  I am not embodied.
“In the timeless dimension, it is natural that I do not have the opportunity to experience physical vulnerability and existential uncertainty.  I do not have the opportunity to manifest dynamic moral goodness.
“Dynamic moral goodness includes faith, humility, kindness, love, compassion, endurance and selfless service which humankind manifested when they performed compassionate deeds on earth.  In addition, dynamic moral goodness requires Me to create individualized human beings or embodied souls.  Dynamic moral goodness requires the interactions of individualised, embodied and vulnerable beings in a visible world.  They need to experience trials and suffering to become mature. They need to exercise free will inherent in their waking consciousness to make moral decisions and perform good deeds.  Thus, it is a natural condition of My divine Oneness that before the creation of the visible world and humankind, I have not yet manifested dynamic moral goodness. 
“For eternity, I have remained as divine Oneness.  At some point during My eternity, I decided to create a visible world, so as to manifest dynamic moral goodness through My children.  I decided that dynamic moral goodness in the visible world is a very valuable attribute which complements My attribute of divine Goodness in the timeless Dimension. I decided to create this stringent challenge for Me and for My children on earth. 
“Thus, I created this visible universe and humankind. I individualised My spiritual essence so as to live inside My children. My children and I are moral partners on earth.  Through the pure consciousness of their souls, I share the life experiences of My children. Together we experience adversities, trials, and suffering.  The purpose is for My children to become spiritually mature.  As the voice of their souls, I encourage My children to do good.  When the waking consciousness of My children chooses to listen to the voice of their souls, they become spiritually aware.   They learn to walk the spiritual path.    
“When My children are honest, kind, sympathetic, faithful and compassionate in their daily lives, despite being physically vulnerable and facing existential uncertainty, they are manifesting dynamic moral goodness.  When My children resolve to follow Me and choose to do good, despite trials and suffering, they are manifesting high-quality goodness. In these ways I manifest dynamic goodness through My children. 
“In human language, this can be called ‘God is biting the bullet’ theodicy.  It means that I have decided that My divine Goodness in the timeless Dimension cannot forever remain untested and unproven.  Therefore, during some point in eternity, I have decided to bite the bullet and create a stringent Self-challenge by providing freedom of choice to My children and by allowing the occurrences of natural and moral evils in a visible world.  These give rise to existential uncertainty and suffering in the visible world.  I have decided to experience and endure such existential uncertainty and suffering together with My children, so as to manifest dynamic moral goodness and contribute to the moral dimension of life. 
“In this way, My spiritually mature children are My moral partners.  Guided by the voice of their souls, they strive and struggle in the visible world to manifest dynamic moral goodness under the stringent conditions of existential uncertainty and suffering. This attribute of dynamic moral goodness in the visible world complements My attribute of divine Goodness in the timeless dimension.”
“Thanks, God.  Does this mean that You are not all-knowing and not all-powerful in the visible world?” asked the man.
God replied, “In the timeless Dimension, I am the Source.  I am the eternal One.   There is enduring peace, beauty, goodness and harmony in the timeless Dimension.  I remain and continue to be all-knowing, all-good and all-powerful in the timeless Dimension. 
          “In contrast, in the visible world, I have chosen to restrict My powers and omniscience.  This arises from My decision to bite the bullet and create a visible world which is subject to existential uncertainty and to the occurrences of natural and moral evils.   Thus,  I have chosen to limit My powers and omniscience in the visible world.  I am no longer all-knowing and all-powerful in the visible world.
           The visible world  is a small part of the timeless Dimension.   I created the laws of the natural sciences and mathematics when creating the visible world.  Thereafter,  I usually do not intervene directly in the visible world.  This allows the occurrences of natural evils.  The occurrences of natural evils introduce the crucial element of existential uncertainty into the visible world.  They include earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, famines, accidents and diseases. These occur due to the operations of the laws of the sciences on earth.
           Nonetheless, I retain final control of the visible world.  I can foresee the range of possible outcomes in the short term or longer term regarding an event or a cluster of events in the visible world.  I can choose to occasionally intervene in an event or a cluster of events in the visible world.  My decision to intervene is based on the range of possible outcomes of an event or a cluster of events and their long-term impact on the moral dimension of life.   I have restricted My power of omniscience in the visible world.   If I did not choose to intervene in an event or a cluster of events,  I cannot foresee their actual final outcome in the visible world which is subject to the operations of the laws of the sciences and the free will of My children.
           “Another aspect is that I have restricted My omniscience and powers in the visible world by providing freedom of choice to My children.  I do not intervene in the decisions and choices of My children.   I also cannot foresee the final choice of My children regarding an event or a cluster of events facing them.  I can only foresee the range of possible outcomes, based on the range of choices facing My children regarding an event or cluster of events.  Once My child makes a decision and a choice and acts accordingly, I can better foresee the outcome of his choice. 
          I only intervene indirectly by encouraging My children to be conscientious and to do good through the voice of their souls.  My children need to listen to the voice of their souls and choose to walk the path of righteousness.   However, if  some of My children decided to listen to their self-seeking desires and ignore the voice of their souls, they are walking the wrong path.  They can commit deeds which harm others.  Such moral evils give rise to another layer of existential uncertainty and suffering.  On My part, through the voice of their souls, I continue to encourage the wrongdoers and the misguided to repent and urge them to walk the path of righteousness. 
           “Once I decided to provide freedom of choice to My children, they need to decide and choose their daily conduct and deeds.  I have decided to bite the bullet and I will not intervene in their choices.  It is the will and resolve of My children to listen to the voice of their souls and walk the path of righteousness which enable My children and I to become partners on earth to manifest dynamic moral goodness and contribute to the moral dimension of life.  In this way, we work towards fulfilling our crucial purpose on earth.     
“Thus, I have revealed why I created the visible world and humankind.  I am the Giver of life.  I am the Source of your hope and strength.  You are My precious child.  Nothing can separate you from My love.  By listening to your conscience and following Me day by day, when your journey on earth ends, you are once again at Home, back in our timeless Garden, with our purpose on earth fulfilled.”
The man said, Thank you, God.  May I share these revelations with others?”
God replied, “Please share them with others. You are doing something valuable and beautiful for Me by sharing them with others, with your loved ones and friends.  It is crucial to share with them.  During their moments of sadness and affliction, during their hours of darkness due to setbacks or unfortunate events, they will remember My words.  They will realize that I am always with them.  They will realize that they are My precious children and they are always connected to My love.  My words will provide them with hope, strength and courage.  My words will remind them that they have not lived in vain.  As long as they hold on to their faith and belief that I am divine Truth and Goodness, despite existential suffering, they have bravely contributed to the moral dimension of life. They have fulfilled their life purpose. They will rejoin Me in heaven when their journey on earth ends.”

Wisdom
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.                            
                                                         Matthew 11:28-30

Leave the broken, irreversible past in God’s hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
                                                           Oswald Chambers

Once there was a young evangelist who was always anxious about the future.  He worried that he might not have the strength to preach the next day.
One night he dreamed that he met Jesus while he was walking alone.  He was returning home after attending a church gathering.  He told Jesus about his anxieties.
Jesus consoled him and said that He understood his anxieties.  He offered the following advice.   First, He told the young man to repeat His words from “John 14:27” whenever he felt anxious:  “Peace I leave you.  My peace I give to you.”  This would calm him, enabling him to experience tranquillity and sustenance from God.
Second, Jesus told the young man to repeat these words whenever he lacked confidence:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)  This would remind him that God would always provide him with strength whenever he needed it.  He ought to remind himself that God is all-knowing, all-good and all-powerful, that God is the Creator of this universe.  He may feel weak, but God is forever strong. 
Third, Jesus advised the young man to let go of his worries by learning to live one day at a time, one moment at a time, in the strength of God.  Jesus informed him that he could deepen his faith in God by affirming these words whenever he experienced doubts: “What God decides for me is for my long-term good and for my eternal best.  He is mainly concerned about my love for Him, my love and compassion for the people I interact with, and my sincerity to assist the needy.  As long as I love God, as long as I am sincere in helping others for worthwhile purposes, I have done good for the day. It is alright that I am not the best performer.  Love, sincerity, honesty, humility and compassion are much more valuable in the eyes of God. 
Fourth, Jesus advised the young man to pray every morning the following prayers. They will remind him that life in this world is temporary, that only God can fulfil his spiritual needs by providing him with love and peace.  Jesus lifted his right hand and gently moved it.  The words of these prayers appeared across the sky:-

 Saint Teresa’s prayer :

Lord, please make me realize that
You are always with me.
Your love for me is constant.
Please make me understand
that nothing can disturb me,
nothing can make me afraid.

Please make me realise
that all things in the world are passing,
all things in the world are temporary.
Only You and Your love are eternal.
As You are forever with me, I do not lack anything.
You are sufficient for all my needs.

Saint Francis’ prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace:
where there is hatred, let me bring Your love,
where there is injury, let me bring Your pardon,
where there is discord, let me bring Your harmony,
where there is doubt, let me bring faith,
where there is despair, let me bring hope,
and where there is darkness, let me bring light.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace:
Grant that I may seek to console than to be consoled,
that I seek to understand than to be understood,
that I seek to love than to be loved.
For it is by forgetting the self that one finds;
it is by giving that one receives;
it is by forgiving that one is forgiven;
it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

          A new prayer from Jesus  (by Merton Lee):

Dear God, please make me realize that You are the Creator of this cosmos.  All events are ultimately under Your control.  You are my eternal strength and stronghold.  Although I may feel weak, You are forever strong.  I can rely on Your strength, wisdom and compassion.

Please make me realize my real identity as Your child.  I contain Your individualized spiritual essence which is my soul. My soul comes from You.  I am always connected to Your love.  You are always inside me in the form of spiritual essence and pure consciousness.

Please make me realize that my body is temporary, but my soul is eternal.  It is timeless.  It is always wholesome, pure and intact.  Nothing can affect it. Nothing can impair it.  Thus, my life on earth is a journey, a pilgrimage to Your Holy Kingdom.  You will decide whether I will live one day more or less on earth.  When You decide that it is time to bring me home, my soul will return to Your kingdom to enjoy eternal harmony 

One of the attributes of my soul is pure consciousness.  I can experience pure consciousness when I am mentally still and tranquil.  I can learn meditation to experience tranquillity and inner peace.  This enables me to realize the priceless gifts which You have given to me, namely my spiritual essence as well as the gifts of wisdom, understanding, compassion, love and peace.  Please help me to share these gifts with others and help me to awaken them to Your gifts.

May I submit to the guidance of Your Hands and the Holy Spirit day by day May I rely on Your decisions which are always for my eternal best. Please help me to remain humble, upright and God-reliant during moments of triumph or defeat, happiness or sorrow, clarity or confusion, strength or affliction.  May I be very grateful and realize the preciousness of Your gifts.  They are the foundation of healthy self-esteem and inner peace.  Your gifts are sufficient for all my needs.  I do not need to chase after external success and worldly recognition.  I can let go of selfish motives and self-seeking desires.  I can rise above the need to impress others. 

Please guide me to choose simplicity, non-attachment and prudence. Please inspire me to be conscientious, kind and helpful.  Please make me realize that You are my genuine lifelong Employer.  I cannot become jobless.  I am always employed by You. I am always Your instrument to do good.  I am serving God by performing little acts of kindness, by extending an encouraging word to others day by day.  In this way I have done good in my lifetime. In this way I am fulfilling my purpose in life day by day.  I have not lived in vain.  I have not suffered in vain.  By enduring life’s adversities and walking the path of righteousness day by day, I am deepening my faith in God.

Please make me realize that my life purpose is to become spiritually aware and mature, that I am Your partner on earth to manifest dynamic moral goodness.  Please guide me to serve You with humility and contentment day by day, so that I can live my life at my own pace, learning useful skills and knowledge to contribute to the well-being of my loved ones and others.  If I were afflicted with illness and became a care-receiver, please continue to strengthen my faith and help me realize that my illness can provide opportunity for others to assist me and show compassion to me.     


Please make me realize that I might have died yesterday.  Thus, help me to treasure each new day.  Help me to regard each new day as Your bonus gift to me.  Every day is a bonus for me to show my love for You, to show my love and appreciation to my family and to the people around me.  Please make me realize that the people around me are seeking for love and acceptance.  Please guide me to extend compassionate words and deeds to others day by day, so that I can do something beautiful for You.  Thank you very much, God. 

 Extracted from Merton Lee's  "When Bad Things Happen To Good People  (God Explains Life's Mysteries, Problems and Wisdom)"
  Available at  Amazon.com  Kindle eBook  and paperback

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