God Gifts Love:

Goodmorning God, Almighty One,

This is Kareem, your loyal servant and follower. I am here, loving and appreciating You. You are both the known and unknown.

And the reason I choose to write You today is simply to honor You, and to glorify You through Your name. How may I serve You, dear Lord?

What are my orders?

For Your will is my own. I wish to start a conversation with You, if You will it also. I wish to live with You, in every single moment. I wish to submit to You, my God.

My sole will and intention is Your own. For the greatest honor in life is to serve You during my time.

And whatever I’ve done, said, felt or prayed — knowingly or unbeknownst to me — that has not honored You… well, for this I repent. And I surrender, to You and You alone; I surrender all of my heart, all of my mind, all of my will and all of my soul.

For none of these things are my own, to begin with. Without You, Father, I have nothing. Without You, Father, I am nothing. Without You, Father, nothing exists.

I know you to be everything and everyone that I see. I know you to be it ‘all’, Father, and as such, it is by Your grace that I live.

I write you this love letter today on a day that is very special to me, for it’s the very first day I’ve surrendered my ego, completely.

I have no more interest in discussing whether or not You are real. I have no more interest in letting days pass by while I question Your existence.

I see You, Father, in the nervousness around me. I see others pacing, talking quickly, and in question of Your sincerity. Yet, I know, as they know, that You live inside of me.

And without You breathing life into me, I would die.

So as I see others flutter, side step, or stutter, I recommend to them only one path: submission.

For submitting to You is recognizing your greatness. I recommend others get down on their knees, apologize for sin, and look up and all around at You in Your variety of forms.

You are the droplet of water that drips from the tub, the rainbow I see in the sky that smiles at me, and the deepest impact I make when I connect with another.

You are the healing touch that only You could have given me.

You are the miracles that happen in my life. You are the manifestation of thought.

You are the feeling that comforts me when I otherwise am alone.

You are the confidante that whispers to me in the lightest and darkest of moments.

You are my very best friend, God; and I am an extension of You.

How may I glorify You, dear Lord?

What can I do, say, feel, think, or be next in order to more deeply honor You?

These are my questions.

When I watch the sunrise, I say thank You. When the sun falls from the sky into the night, I thank You for a beautiful day, once again.

I watch You paint the sky, day in and day out, in a state of total awe and wonder. I see others celebrate the sunset and clap when it goes down, only they don’t know to whom they are applauding.

I see You in everything, in every one, and in all that I do.

I see You in each person, each animal, and each foe; for they are Your creation and just as perfect as You’ve chosen them to be. Each distinct from one another and with no limit, per Your imagination.

I recognize that ‘imagination’ is not something to be possessed. Quite like ‘love’, it’s how You interact with us.

You show up in so many forms; often invisible, and then also in plain sight.

You are the sway of the leaves on the trees with each blow of the wind. And yet, You are also the tree itself, for without You, it would not live.

You are the scowl on someone’s face when I’ve done something not good, or considered an impure thought.

You are the very same thing that I choose not to see as a reflection of me, when I feel judged, mistreated, or left alone.

You are the one I’ve deemed my enemy, without knowing it was You. You are, at the very least, the source of life inside of them.

You are the love of my life. You are the love that is life.

You are. You are: my God.

When I meet someone, I wonder what for?

How is life serving me, in this moment?

And yet, strangely and fondly, I recall, life is ‘happening’ for me, because I chose to dedicate my life to You. And when I did not know to make this choice, I reflect backwards and am reminded of my soul mission.

Each time I have steered off track, You’ve been there, Father, steering me back.

How can I thank You, Father?

I suppose I’ll have to reach deep inside of myself. This will require that I make peace with myself, with my past actions, beliefs, and circumstances. Furthermore, it requires that I make peace with all of Your creation.

I challenge myself to see things differently, and then I get down on my knees. I ask for Your guidance and support, and in the name of Jesus Christ, of Nazareth, I pray.

I ask for forgiveness and tell You that I know ‘not’ the way. I ask for Your love and assistance, which only ‘You’ can provide.

And then I feel this feeling, like electricity through my body. It’s the opposite of being numb; it’s alive.

And I recognize ‘life’ once again as You, dear Father. I remember that the wind blows because You’ve let out your breath. I remember that the ocean crashes because You told it to. I remember that animals migrate on a schedule that You’ve predetermined for them.

I remember to look deep inside — right through my eyes — and find You.

Then, I let out my breath and surrender this also to You. The very air I breathe belongs to You.

So, I thank You once again and the cycle continues. You’d think I spend my whole day doing this, except I’m in awe of the miracles.

I see the way You greet me. I experience the flow of life You have given me. I recognize the opportunity to feel great as you fill me. And, as such, I strive to help others feel the same way.

I serve You through spreading health, through loving You and all of Your creation, and through direct impact, as much as it takes.

I find myself dumbfounded at times, as I see how ‘You’ serve, Father. I take notice that each of us prays. I see prayers fulfilled in Your name. I see it all as glorifying You, and yet I take notice that it’s perhaps more accurate that You serve us than it is that we serve You.

For even in our moments of greatest selflessness, we’ve learned from You, and by Your example.

I once asked what it felt like to be crucified, energetically. You gave me this gift, Father, for only ‘one’ minute. I remember the agony; it is unforgettable. I couldn’t find a comfortable place for my head. I kept shifting, with no relief. My arms felt like they were dislocating from my shoulders and my spine was bending so far backwards I couldn’t withstand it.

I cringed, adjusted, and each time it pulled on the nails that were embedded deep within me, through each hand and through both feet at once. I felt one minute, Father, and You felt 9 hours. You were beaten first, crowned with thorns, and totally exhausted.

Your faith never wavered, nor did you flinch. You took this abuse not like a man; You took it as God.

And well within Your power and discretion is the destruction of man.

Yet, 2021 years later, we are still here. By Your grace, Father. By Your grace, we live.

Now I think forward, and I pray for Your voice to come through. I ask for Your goodness to permeate these words and any letter I write You.

I ask that the wisdom come through my fingers, so I can adapt and demonstrate You in the words to follow. And here is what comes through:

I often pray to You this way, my God.

I choose to start a conversation and then honor what comes through. I used to think that I was making it up. I’ve since learned it’s You.

You are the wisdom between my ears.

You are the destiny that I hear.

You are the wonder in life that invigorates me.

And when You choose to — or more accurately, when You are called upon — You are also my speech.

Dear Jesus,

I love You. I have not the words, for love is Yours.

The part of me that is You, that is the part I recognize as I speak this to You. I see you blindly, in the light of Love, Jesus. I call upon my insides, dig deeply inside, and I honor You for all that You are. You are a part of God.

You are God’s son. The only begotten Son of God.

And now You have called upon me to write this letter, as I sit intently with my heart focused upon The Father. I am offstruck by goodness once again, as I sit here in submission.

How do You do that? You are wondrous.

I believe in You, Jesus. I believe in the crucifiction. I believe in a world that believed in darkness and threats and You brought love. I wonder, what for?

Why not destroy that which loathes? How do You so clearly see our potential?

This only happens from up above.

Then, I wonder to myself. Since You are in plain sight, in all that I see… and since You’ve been here before, why wait? Why wait to bring down the Kingdom of Heaven?

Unless it’s already here.

And as I write this to You, I become aware. Heaven, quite like a mustard seed or levin, rises.

It grows up. It develops. It finds itself, inside of You.

And You have demonstrated where You live, how You live, and where You go. You go up to the sky, dear Lord.

So, may I also grow in Your direction. May I set the example for humanity. And may I grow and reach.

For if it is Your will, Father, than it is done. In the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus, I pray and submit.

If it is Your will, Father, allow me to submit. Allow me to grow and reach You. Allow me to hold a grip. And allow me to lead the way for others, so it’s no longer obscure and the purest of heart may come.