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A
walk with God
by
john o'keefe
In
a conference phone conversation with all the religious leaders on the
earth God said, “I have some good news and some bad news!
The good news is “I’m back on earth;” the bad news is
“I’m back on earth.”
I
came back to walk the earth last week, not to end things but to see what
was happening and to get a first hand view of all I created.
I decided, the best way to approach this would be to find a
person and spend the day with them – to walk with them, talk with them
and ask them questions about what I saw.
I wanted to see the world through their eyes.
Therefore, I did just that.
I found one person and I spent the day with her.
Our
first walk together was a walk along the pier.
We looked over the ocean. I
was happy at the beauty I had created – the calm of the ocean, the
peaceful sound of the waves, the relaxing smell of the salt-air – it
made me feel good to know that this beauty would be enjoyed by humanity
for time to come. Then I
looked at the beach, where the foam meets the sand. There I saw a sight that caused a pain in my heart and a tear
in my eye – there was garbage all over the place; needles, bottles,
cans, plastic, paper and so much more.
It filled the beaches as far as I could see.
I looked at my traveling companion and asked, “What do you do
about all this?” To which
she replied “Nothing
much. Oh sure, we protest, we scream, we even demand that others do
something about it – but all in all, we really don’t do much except
make the mess. We like to
blame others and finger point, but we do very little.
If you were to organize a Clean-Up Day very few people would come
to clean, because others think it’s not important to ‘get
involved’ – besides, they think others will do the cleaning.
People want it fixed, but no one is willing to fix the problem.
Besides, if you are really God you fix it”
I looked at her and said, “I am God and I do desire to clean-up
the mess, but I desire to use my people to do it.”
As
our walk continued, we found ourselves on the freeway – cars were
darting past, people weaving in and out of other cars – the shouting,
the cursing, the anger and the loneliness all took me for a surprise.
I looked at my companion and asked, “Why do people drive this
way?” To which she
replied, “Well, I think most people drive anole because even though
they talk about being “in community” – they like being alone. They are selfish. If
you are driving by yourself, you can listen to the music you like, drive
the way you want and not have to be bugged by the voice of another.
When people cut you off you can insult them and shout at them and
even get angry at them – but when you are with someone else you might
not feel free to do that stuff. Driving
allows people to be free, and we live by different rules when we are
driving. Besides, if you
are God you can make them happy and loveable.”
I looked at her and said, “I am God, and I desire for all
people to love and be loved; but it takes a active role on your part to
see that love.”
We
continued to walk along the freeway and then entered the city.
As we were walking along I noticed some beautiful houses and
parks; children paying and families out for walks.
It did my heart good to notice all the joy and love coming from
their spirits. As we walked deeper into the city the houses started to
change and the people looked different.
I saw the pain and the despair in the hearts of the people. I looked at my companion and asked, “What do you do for
those who hurt?” She
replied, “Well, we have a ton of programs, some funded and some not,
designed to help people. We
have welfare and other ways for people to get money.
We help pay the rents and we pay for the electric for many people
who are in need.” I
looked at her and said, “No, I mean for the hurting, those who need a
friend, a welcomed hand and warm embrace?
What do you do for those in this life who need your love?”
She added, “That’s the job of the church and the religious,
not the job of regular people; if you are God talk to your people about
fixing the problem.” I looked at her and said, “I do want my people to fix the
problem, but keep in mind that I am God and ALL people are my people.”
As
our day ended, I was disheartened by the way humanity was disconnected;
it’s desire to place the blame on others and its willingness to look
the other way in the face of a problem; it’s desire to want me to fix
the problems they created.
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