How To Set The World Right (A Letter to My Children)

 To my children, who are patterned according to my own likeness and made in the image of their Father in heaven.

My Children,

I am writing you this letter to teach you something about this world and what your duty is to redeem it and maintain it. In essence, what I intend to teach you is the meaning of life and how to live with purpose. What I am going to tell you in this letter is not widely taught and it can be very easy to live your whole life faking life and feeling like life is very hard and difficult. If you can understand what I am about to say, life will be almost effortless, similar to how easily the waves crash on the shore and how easily wild flowers grow in the open prairie.  

I am 38 years old and I have lived most of my life in search for the meaning of life and my purpose. I set out to discover a way of living that worked in all circumstances and at all times, without any contradictions or conflict within myself. The reason for this criteria is simple. As much as I would like to pretend, I really don’t know anything about you. Or I should say at least, there is much more about you that I don’t know than I do know. I have sweet memories with you, like drawing roses in your bed or watching you hit a golf ball across a lake. But you have an internal world that is completely foreign to me as my thoughts are foreign to you. I say this in humility. When I consider the world and all that it contains, including the billions of people you and I share a planet with, there is so little that we know. Indeed…

Butterflies flutter

To Heights Unknown to Mankind

How Little We Know

I wrote that little haiku in 7th grade. I bet you didn’t know that! 

For this reason, in my search for universal truth, truth that can give me the confidence to teach you something since it applies to even the situations I am ignorant of, I have had to question every claim and challenge every notion of received wisdom. I have studied under the major religions, the secular sciences, and the fantastic worlds of novels and movies to find this universal truth. I have tested it in my jobs, with my friends, with you and in the very chaotic chat rooms and comment sections of the internet, which I am sure someday you will do yourself. 

The universal truth and the meaning of life is this. For better or for worse, you will make the world in your image. I mean to say that your beliefs about yourself and the world are the source of how you see the world and how you will put it together. If you are whole inside, you will celebrate other people and places that are whole and find pleasure in making the broken parts of the world whole. If you are broken inside, you will celebrate and encourage the people and places who are also broken and find pleasure in judging and undermining the whole parts of the world. 

I remember when I was teaching you all how to play sports. Do you remember how I would tell you that you were capable of enjoying yourself and playing the sport well? I did that because if you really believed that, all your effort would go towards making that belief real. But if you didn’t believe that, all your effort would go towards seeking evidence that you weren’t good and couldn’t play well. You see, the secret to this life is that believing is seeing, whether for good or for evil. 

Some people call this belief. Some people call this faith. No matter the term, this choice to believe things about yourself is a fundamental choice. It comes before evidence because you can’t really ever “know” anything about yourself or the pattern that made you. There is always more to know and the evidence for or against a thing can be infinite when it comes to something as complex as you, a person who has a soul capable of faith. 

The choice you have to make is whether you will believe, unconditionally, you and the pattern that made you are good and whole or whether you are evil and broken. The best way to self-reflect on your choice is to write out “I am” and “I am not” statements and to analyze your actions with these same statements. For instance, are you capable of learning math? Whether you believe you are or believe you aren’t, you will be proven right. Are you or are you not worthy of happiness and a good life? Are you able to be obedient and trusting, even when you don’t understand fully what you are being asked to do? Are you able to ask questions without being disobedient? Are you able to set the world right? Are you or are you not loved and loveable? Many people, unknowingly, act like they are not enough and incapable of living with purpose and gratitude. This is what I call a major mistake or what the Bible calls sin. If you act in this sin, anything you do will cause you to suffer. If you act in righteousness, you will flourish in everything you do.

There is a story I’d like to tell you know to illustrate this. Once upon a time, a father made a beautiful garden for his son and his son’s wife. Everything was perfect in this garden and his son and wife were very happy, enjoying any food they desired and living at peace with one another. Even the animals were their friends and the birds would sing to them as they played games and kept the garden neat and tidy. The son and his wife grew to love the garden and all that the father put there. The father, however, knew that there was something his son and his wife didn’t know. He knew they didn’t know him. They only knew the things he had made for them. Was the father a good father? Did the father love them? Or was he a cruel father and was he capable of deceiving them? For many years, the father let his son and his son’s wife enjoy the garden in bliss until one day, out of love for his child, he gave them a test. He put a tree in the middle of the garden and told them not to eat its fruit. This was the first prohibition their father had ever given them and it made them ask “why?”. Was their father stingy? Was he cruel? Didn’t he want them to have everything? Why would he withhold something good for them? Did their father love them at all? What was he hiding? Why would he make something just to keep it from them? Because the children were ignorant of their father but knew that everything in the garden was good, you can guess what happened. They disobeyed their father and ate from the tree, believing the fruit to be good but him to be bad, ignorant, and cruel. From that moment on, the belief that their father was evil broke the son and his wife and all their children and caused people and animals to die. 

When you think of things that make you sad and angry, I want you to remember this and see why this world that we live in seems so broken and cruel. It’s because people, in their hearts and minds choose to believe they are broken and they break the world in their image. When you see things that seem right and lovely, I want you to remember these things. These things come from those who choose to believe they are whole and loved and they heal the world accordingly. 

Throughout your life you will ask yourself “what am I supposed to be doing?” And “how can I be happy?” Most people will hear you say these things and give you things to do and careers to pursue. They will tell you to get married, have kids, buy a house, go on a vacation, learn how to cook, become a sports fan, and a million other things in pursuit of fulfillment. This, I want to emphasize, is the strategy of those who believe they are incomplete. They may say they are seeking purpose, meaning, and happiness but they will never find it. These people will become addicted to the pursuit and either grow depressed and become addicted to lower substances like drugs, alcohol, sex, or relationships or they will grow ambitious and become addicted to higher substances like money, power, and fame. This is a conditional way of living that starts with the belief that you aren’t enough, and then seeks to pretend that something outside can fix this incompleteness.

I want you to be different. I want you to know the unconditional love and faith that says “I am enough right now regardless of my circumstances.” I want you to say and believe “I am worthy and capable of achieving any goal.” And when you fail or struggle, I want you to say “I am better than that” or “that’s not who I am”. I want you to see that happiness, gratitude, trust, and hope are choices that you can train yourself how to exercise in all circumstances and at all times. If someone is mean to you say “I can respond however I choose but nothing anyone does or says is evidence of my own self-worth.” If you are afraid of the consequences of a certain action, say “I am capable of enduring and even enjoying any consequences for the sake of truth.” For instance, if you go to the gym and you are afraid of the pain that will come from working out and training, you can interpret the pain as the evidence of your training working. These are all choices that I would like to see you exercising on a daily basis. 

In my life, I have found myself in many difficult situations. I’ve encountered people who seemed to be very upset with me and the world. What I have discovered is that how these people treated me was really just a reflection of how they treated themselves. Now, the irony is that these people often cannot really see that they are doing this without someone helping them. Police officers are often like this. They don’t think they are capable of being good or being loved and so they think other people are the same way. They then see people stealing, lying, and cheating and they punish those people. Really, however, they are punishing themselves. They distract themselves from judgement by judging others. This is true of judges, lawyers, politicians, military officers, and really most people that you will encounter. What they do and how they feel is a reflection of their beliefs. You must understand that they do not and cannot know you. In these situations, I have learned the secret to remaining happy and content because I have learned that true happiness and true contentment comes from within, from the choice to be happy and content. It sounds like “I am capable of being content right now, regardless of whether or not I get what I want.” And then when I have moments of discontent, I simply say “That’s not who I am. In fact, I am better than that because I am capable of being content right now, regardless of whether or not I get what I want.” So many people don’t know this secret and they suffer terribly because they don’t get what they want, or they do get what they want and they find it unsatisfying. 

In your life you will face many trails and difficult situations. If you believe that you are loved, worthy, capable, and whole, you will turn these difficult situations into opportunities to set the world right. If you believe you are unloved, unworthy, incapable, and broken, these difficult situations will break you and leave you feeling right but empty inside. The vast majority of people, because they believe they know what they cannot know, choose to spend most of their life trying to judge the world and themselves according to what they see, blind to the fact that what they see comes from what they believe. I want you to be different. I want you to be like your father. 

I want to tell you one more story about a father and a son. This father and son lived in perfect harmony. Each knew the other was loved and lovable and each trusted each other in all things. The son especially trusted and obeyed his father. Despite their love for each other, they each knew that their love was missing something, a test to prove how deep it was. One day, the father, to test his son’s love for him sent him away on a dangerous mission to a land of people who hated everything that was good and whole. The son, to prove his love for his father, obeyed. When the son arrived, the people, blinded by their own self-hatred and evil thoughts, killed the son. The people took this as evidence that the father must hate the son and that the son must have been foolish for being so trusting of his father. Despite their actions and words of abuse, the son never stopped believing that he was loved, powerful, worthy, and capable. The father never stopped believing that he was loved, powerful, worthy, and capable. As the son was lying dead in a tomb, this belief worked what many thought was impossible. The son came back to life and returned to his father having completed his mission. This was to prove the death defying power of faith and to give us all a pattern for how to live fearlessly and obediently in this life. This is the story of Jesus Christ, the son of God, who came to this world to show us the way to life, liberty, and happiness.

Therefore, my children, do not be afraid and do not worry about anything. You have everything you need within your own heart, mind, and soul. Each day model your life after mine as I model my life after Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. No matter what, know that I love you with the same unconditional love My Father has for me and has for you.  Do this, and you will have everything you need to set the world right.

Analysis:

This letter offers a profound exploration of purpose, identity, and the transformative power of belief. It weaves together personal experience, moral instruction, and theological reflection to provide guidance that transcends circumstantial limitations. Here's an analysis of its key themes and implications:

1. Central Theme: Identity and Belief as Creative Forces

The letter asserts that our beliefs about ourselves fundamentally shape the world we create. This aligns with the biblical principle of humans being made in the image of God, endowed with the ability to reflect divine attributes such as creativity and love. The emphasis on "believing is seeing" challenges a conventional reliance on evidence, inviting a paradigm shift where faith becomes the lens through which reality is constructed.

2. Duality of Wholeness and Brokenness

The juxtaposition of being whole versus being broken resonates with both psychological and spiritual frameworks. It frames wholeness as a state of unconditional self-acceptance and brokenness as the result of misplaced beliefs about oneself and the world. This duality underpins the letter’s call for self-awareness and intentionality in shaping one's inner and outer worlds.

3. Integration of Biblical Narratives

The retelling of the Genesis story and the life of Christ serves as a theological anchor. These narratives illustrate the dangers of mistrusting the Creator and the redemptive power of faith and obedience. The parallels drawn between these stories and the children’s journey offer a powerful reminder of the enduring relevance of Scripture in personal and communal life.

4. Practical Guidance

The advice is deeply pragmatic, emphasizing self-reflection and actionable strategies:

• Affirmation and Resilience: Encouraging children to affirm their worth and view challenges as opportunities.
• Emotional Mastery: Teaching responses to external circumstances, such as choosing gratitude and hope.
• Purposeful Living: Warning against conditional pursuits of happiness and advocating for a life rooted in intrinsic worth.

5. Philosophical and Existential Insights

The letter subtly engages with existential questions about the nature of reality and the human condition:

• The limits of knowledge ("how little we know") are acknowledged with humility.
• The relationship between belief and evidence challenges epistemological norms, proposing that faith is foundational to understanding.

6. Parental Wisdom and Legacy

The letter embodies the author’s aspiration to impart a legacy of love, wisdom, and faith. By addressing the children as co-creators of their lives and the world, it not only affirms their inherent dignity but also entrusts them with a sacred responsibility.

Strengths

• Personal and Relatable: The letter balances personal anecdotes with universal truths, making it both intimate and broadly applicable.
• Philosophical Depth: It invites readers to wrestle with profound questions of existence, morality, and faith.
• Actionable Principles: The advice is clear, actionable, and deeply empowering.

Opportunities for Enhancement

1. Clarification of Key Concepts: While "wholeness" and "brokenness" are central, a deeper explanation of how these states manifest in practical terms could enhance clarity.
2. Engagement with Opposing Views: Addressing counterarguments to the premise of "believing is seeing" could provide a more robust defense of the idea.
3. Diverse Perspectives: Incorporating insights from different cultural or philosophical traditions might broaden the appeal and depth of the letter.

Conclusion

This letter is a heartfelt and intellectually rich manifesto of faith, love, and purpose. It serves not only as a guide for the children it addresses but also as a testament to the transformative power of belief in shaping both individual lives and the broader world. By rooting its insights in the timeless truths of Scripture and lived experience, it offers a compelling vision of what it means to live with purpose and courage in a complex world.

This letter offers a profound exploration of purpose, identity, and the transformative power of belief. It weaves together personal experience, moral instruction, and theological reflection to provide guidance that transcends circumstantial limitations. Here's an analysis of its key themes and implications:

1. Central Theme: Identity and Belief as Creative Forces

The letter asserts that our beliefs about ourselves fundamentally shape the world we create. This aligns with the biblical principle of humans being made in the image of God, endowed with the ability to reflect divine attributes such as creativity and love. The emphasis on "believing is seeing" challenges a conventional reliance on evidence, inviting a paradigm shift where faith becomes the lens through which reality is constructed.

2. Duality of Wholeness and Brokenness

The juxtaposition of being whole versus being broken resonates with both psychological and spiritual frameworks. It frames wholeness as a state of unconditional self-acceptance and brokenness as the result of misplaced beliefs about oneself and the world. This duality underpins the letter’s call for self-awareness and intentionality in shaping one's inner and outer worlds.

3. Integration of Biblical Narratives

The retelling of the Genesis story and the life of Christ serves as a theological anchor. These narratives illustrate the dangers of mistrusting the Creator and the redemptive power of faith and obedience. The parallels drawn between these stories and the children’s journey offer a powerful reminder of the enduring relevance of Scripture in personal and communal life.

4. Practical Guidance

The advice is deeply pragmatic, emphasizing self-reflection and actionable strategies:

• Affirmation and Resilience: Encouraging children to affirm their worth and view challenges as opportunities.
• Emotional Mastery: Teaching responses to external circumstances, such as choosing gratitude and hope.
• Purposeful Living: Warning against conditional pursuits of happiness and advocating for a life rooted in intrinsic worth.

5. Philosophical and Existential Insights

The letter subtly engages with existential questions about the nature of reality and the human condition:

• The limits of knowledge ("how little we know") are acknowledged with humility.
• The relationship between belief and evidence challenges epistemological norms, proposing that faith is foundational to understanding.

6. Parental Wisdom and Legacy

The letter embodies the author’s aspiration to impart a legacy of love, wisdom, and faith. By addressing the children as co-creators of their lives and the world, it not only affirms their inherent dignity but also entrusts them with a sacred responsibility.

Strengths

• Personal and Relatable: The letter balances personal anecdotes with universal truths, making it both intimate and broadly applicable.
• Philosophical Depth: It invites readers to wrestle with profound questions of existence, morality, and faith.
• Actionable Principles: The advice is clear, actionable, and deeply empowering.

Conclusion

This letter is a heartfelt and intellectually rich manifesto of faith, love, and purpose. It serves not only as a guide for the children it addresses but also as a testament to the transformative power of belief in shaping both individual lives and the broader world. By rooting its insights in the timeless truths of Scripture and lived experience, it offers a compelling vision of what it means to live with purpose and courage in a complex world.

Key Quotes with Supporting Scripture

Quote:
"For better or for worse, you will make the world in your image."
Scripture:

• Genesis 1:27: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."
• Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
• Luke 6:45: "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Quote:
"Believing is seeing, whether for good or for evil."
Scripture:

• Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
• Matthew 9:29: "Then he touched their eyes and said, 'According to your faith let it be done to you.'"
• 2 Corinthians 5:7: "For we live by faith, not by sight."

Quote:
"The choice you have to make is whether you will believe, unconditionally, whether you and the pattern that made you are good and whole or whether you are evil and broken."
Scripture:

• Deuteronomy 30:19-20: "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
• Genesis 1:31: "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."
• Romans 3:23-24: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Quote:
"I want you to know the unconditional love and faith that says, ‘I am enough right now regardless of my circumstances.’"
Scripture:

• Psalm 139:14: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
• Philippians 4:11-13: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
• Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Quote:
"How these people treated me was really just a reflection of how they treated themselves."
Scripture:

• Matthew 7:3-5: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"
• James 4:1-2: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight."
• Proverbs 27:19: "As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart."

Quote:
"True happiness and true contentment come from within, from the choice to be happy and content."
Scripture:

• 1 Timothy 6:6-8: "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."
• Psalm 37:4: "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
• John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Quote:
"Throughout your life you will ask yourself, ‘What am I supposed to be doing?’ and ‘How can I be happy?’"
Scripture:

• Ecclesiastes 12:13: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind."
• Matthew 6:33: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
• Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Quote:
"Each day model your life after mine as I model my life after Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith."
Scripture:

• 1 Corinthians 11:1: "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
• Hebrews 12:2: "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
• John 13:15: "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."