A Good and Beautiful Life:Letter to God Soul Exercise

Author:James Bryan Smith

Dear: God,

 The life I want most for myself is a life that is just like the world feels after it rains. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense,but it's the image that comes to my mind when I think about what I want my life to be like. the world after it rains(and this is from my viewpoint-others might disagree! lol ) feels fresh, clear, brand-new, and full of opportunities.  it makes me feel happy and alive and ready to try new things, to go new places, and it gives me hope that in the end, all will be okay. to me, that is a good and beautiful life, and that's the life I want most for myself.

     I want my life feel fresh and light. I can't describe it very well God, but that's one of your endless beauties. I don't have to describe it well or describe it at all! you know exactly what I mean, even if I can't find the words to bring the feelings out. I want my life to be one where I'm not...weighted down by anything. I know that no one has a carefree life, and that's not what I mean. I don't want to go through life...dragging something behind me, carrying it everywhere I go, getting so focused on it that I don't and/or can't focus on anything else. I want my life to be light, fresh...the way the world feels after it rains: cool, clear, and unburdened. 

     the world after it rains always make me feel like there so many opportunities out there and it gives me this...desire to want to do new things, go new places, experience new things,etc. I want that to be part of my life. I want my life to be one that reflects not being unwilling to try new things, to do something despite it being tough or scary, or brand new. I know that right now, I'm not very good at living my life this way, but I am trying God. I'm going to China, which will be a new experience in so many ways, and just as scary as it is exciting.I'm trying to be more outgoing, and I'm even trying to be a leader,despite the fact that no one ever gives me a chance.I want to be a leader, I want to make a difference in people's lives. the world after it rains, gives a feeling of peace and joy, and i want my life to be like that, peaceful and joyful and also help other people feel the same way. 

as materialistic as this sounds, a good and beautiful life to me also includes traveling. I want a life where I am a cosmopolitan, a world traveler, going to new places, experiencing new things, new and different ways of thinking, and learning to love the whole world, not just my tiny little part of it. I want that, even if its not a career that allows me to travel, but if traveling is a real and big part of my life. sometimes, I've thought about just getting a secretary/assistant job somewhere, and living in a small apartment, and saving up money to go on vacation for 3 weeks or so to a city, or country,etc. long shot, I know. I've also thought about doing lots of short term missions. its why i love the TESL field so much. I know what a difference coming to the USA made for me and my brother, and I also know that feeling of being somewhere and not understanding a word of what anyone was saying or what was going on. I want to teach English to help people avoid that feeling as much as I can, and its also a field where I can easily travel, teaching English in lots of countries. but I do want traveling to be a part of my life. its the kind of life I want for myself. it does also have to do with you God. I want to love your entire creation! I want to see you in lots of countries and cultures, and see your creation in other countries, see your creation of this planet as a whole,and not just love my culture,the nature i see in my part of the planet but all of it. 

I do want love as part of the life i want for myself the most. I want to be surrounded by people that love me and care for me and aren't afraid to show it, and do show it instead of just saying it. I want to have friends that i can call at midnight if am scared or upset or feeling alone, and i want friends that feel like family. i also want romantic love and career love...I want my life to be all about love...loving You, loving myself, my family, my friends, your Children and your creation as a whole and not a part of it....I want to love it all and be content with the part you have given me to be in your story.

the soul exercise for this chapter, as you can see, was to write a letter to god that started with: dear god, the life I want most for myself is..." and then you finished it. its was basically a letter telling God what a good and beautiful life would look like to you, what you want your life to look like. the letter that I wrote was a second draft. the first one is a notebook  and I wrote it during the last devo for the summer campus ministry because they were singing and i kinda found it...a bit boring. i guess its just not the way I praise God the easiest you know? anyway, part of the reflection for this soul exercise is to share this letter with people(if you were comfortable). I am comfortable sharing this letter. this letter is me. i just sat down and started writing, and didn't let myself worry about what a letter to God is supposed to be like,or what am supposed to talk about when I talk about what I want to be like. I just wrote it from my heart, and I'm very happy with it and am so excited to share it. it did also inspire me to do a photo essay about what i want my life to be like(in other words a photo essay version of this letter). somethings are better explained with images rather than words(as a writer, I should know! lol). writing this letter was easy for me because I write letters to God all the time, but it was good to...let myself feel what I want truly want my life to be like, and what I most want it to be like. I really encourage you to try it. do it your way! write a letter, write a blog, write a list, draw a picture, sculpt something, make a podcast... just let yourself honestly feel what you want your life to truly be like, without worrying what your supposed to want it to be like or what your supposed to say in exercises like this. we might all be God's children, but we are all different, and each of our souls are different