Well, shall we continue?  I don't think you want to stay near the dark part of the forest.  I promise that from here on out, it will be bright and sunny!  Since we have gone through the basic parts of spirituality, as well as the darker parts, now come the paths of contemplation.

As we walk this part of the forest, I will help you if you wish to come into a more loving relationship with me.  That is one of my greatest wishes, is for you and me to have a more open and loving relationship.  I know and love you more then you can possibly imagine, but it would be wonderful if you were to take a very active part in our relationship!

Why don't we go over the steps to having a loving relationship with God?  There are seven steps.  We'll go through them one by one to help make it easier for you. 

The first step in having a loving relationship with me is to know that I do not demand or require things from you.  As I have said before, so many think that I require their worship or that I demand a harsh and sacrificial lifestyle from them. 

I am here to tell you my child that I do not require your sacrifices, though I am pleased and honored by them.  I am here to tell you that I do not demand or require your worship, though I am happy when you talk to me in that way. 

When you make any effort to talk with me, I am happy!  Even if that talk is to ask things of me, or to find out what it is I want, you are still talking to me, and that is important.

If you believe that I require things from you, then you will be afraid, for you humans believe that I can fail to get what I want, if I wanted anything.  Furthermore, you believe that if I fail to get what I want, then I will not love you.  You fear that I will reject or punish you for not giving me what I want.

I have said it before, and I will say it again.  I am life!  I am life itself!  I am every living thing, every single person, animal, tree, rock, and bush.  I am the oceans and the sky.  I am the land and the earth. 

Now, does life demand that you worship it?  Does life want you to build temples, churches or mosques to honor it?  No, it does not.  Life simply exists.  Life is simply there.  Everyone is in life.  Therefore, everyone is in me.  Everyone is in God.

What could I possibly want from you?  Your worship?  I have no need of it.  I am love and I do not have an ego.  I do not demand things in return for my love. 

Your sacrifices?  I do not need them.  But by doing some sacrifices, you can and will grow personally.

Your allegiance?  I do not need that either.  I know that you are my child.  I know that, but you may not.  If you are my child, then I know that you are with me, whether you know it or not.  I have designed life so that all will inevitably return to me.  You are part of that plan as well.

Do I require you to do things for me?  No, I do not.  I may offer suggestions to you now and then, but it is ultimately your choice as to what you will and will not do.  Remember that my suggestions are for your benefit.  You could gain so much if you choose to follow them!  And remember that my suggestions are always love based. (Remember to test everything spiritual you find!)

Likewise, you believe that as I demand things from you, I also control your life.  I will tell you now that that is not true.  You are in control of your life.  You have the reigns, you decide where your life goes.  You may not be able to choose the events that happen to you, but you do have complete control over your views on them.

If you wish, you may hand the reigns over to me.  Gently surrender and I can guide you to a smoother, happier road for you to travel on.  I will never lead you astray.  I will guide you to people, places and things that can assist you, or need you. 

If you give me permission to help guide your life, you need not fear about me working you to the bone.  I will help you based on your own strengths, talents and preferences.  If you are an artist, I will not demand that you go out and become a missionary in Asia.  I might inspire you to paint pictures of angels to comfort people.  Likewise, if you are a filmmaker, I might suggest that you make inspirational moves to uplift people's spirits. 

I do not control your life.  You do that.  But if you wish, you may turn the reigns over to me.  I cannot interfere unless you ask.  Know that I care about you, and I want the best for you.

I am not hard and demanding like so many perceive me to be.  I am soft and gentle.  I am warm and soothing.  I am peaceful and happy. 

I am not grumpy and demanding.  I am not jealous or fearful.  I am not harmful or hateful. 

I am love.

In me you can find comfort.  In me you will find peace.  In me will you find happiness, joy, and love.

I am love and nothing else.  I think loving thoughts all the time.  Never does a dark thought enter my mind.  For me, everything is love, including you.  You are always in my thoughts.  I think of loving things for you.

The question is, will you let me bring them to you?  All you have to do is ask!

*

Notice how the trees and the bushes here are green and thick.  They are firm and strong, for they know me and call upon me for my care.  Look at what they have, compared to what people have.

Trees and bushes, grass and plants all know that I am with them at all times.  They trust me completely to be with them, and I never let them down.  These plants and trees know a great fact that many do not know.

I am completely trustworthy.

If you turn to me with an honest, open heart, then I will never let you down.  Does this mean that I will answer every prayer of yours, that I will give you everything you desire?  The answer to that is no.  I will answer every prayer of yours, but I may give you what you may not expect.  I will not give you everything you desire, but I will give you everything you need.

You can, however, always trust me to be with you at all times.  You can always trust in my never-ending love and acceptance.  You can always trust me to be there to support you and say, "You can do it!" or, "I am here for you!" or, "I love you no matter what!"

If you learn to trust in my love, then you will begin to grow.

If you do not trust in me, then you can and will be disappointed with your experiences with me.  You will constantly wonder and bicker why I am not doing everything you ask of me.  So many see me as a manservant, someone who runs around fulfilling the wishes of some and leaving the wishes of others unanswered.

It is not my primary task to answer the wishes of every single person on earth.  My favorite task is to be with everyone, and to support everyone, including you.

Yet you have all the power you need within you to get whatever you desire.  All you need to do is focus on your goal and work towards it.  Better yet, ask me for assistance.  If you desire something, ask me for the resources to get it.  I will happily give you resources to help you get whatever you want.

Do not assume that I do all the work when answering prayers.  You can help speed things along by working at what you want as well.  I will assist you in your work.  I will be there to back you up.

If you can trust me never to be wrathful and angry, then you have accomplished something great.  It takes monumental courage to trust a God of complete love, acceptance and forgiveness with no strings attached. 

If you can trust me to be those things, then you have eliminated much unnecessary fear from your life.  For if you fear God then you will not have time to do anything else.  If you fear God, you will spend all your time trying to win God's favor rather then living your life.

You can also trust me to help guide your life.  If you give me permission to do so, I can guide you towards greener pastures, as you say on earth.  I can and will bring focus and resolution in your life.  You can trust me to come into your life and make it so much better for you. 

You can trust me to come in and help you for your benefit.  All you have to do is ask.

If you fear God and spend all your time trying to gain God's favor, then you are simply chasing elusions, for God already approves of you and loves you.

If you can trust in God to always be there for you, to be your emotional support, then you have grown very wise indeed.

*

What is the next step in having a loving relationship with me?  The first two steps have been discussed.  Know that God does not require something from you.  Know that you can trust God.  Now comes the next step.

Loving God.

This step is not as difficult as it first seems.  For when you know that there is a being who loves you completely, who accepts you with no strings attached, who is always standing by your side, it is not difficult to love a being such as this.

It has been said over and over again in your holy books that love is the most important thing you, and anybody else can do.  This is very true.  For love is what I am.  I am love itself, for that is all I think about, and all that I ever do.

If you know love, then you know me.  If you love others, then you love me.  It is not difficult to love me when you know me.  If you know that I am love, then you will soon come to me with open arms.  And I will be here, ready to take you in my own arms and hold you close.

When you love me, you trust me.  When you trust me, you allow me to work with you, and for your benefit. 

Look at the world beyond your doorstep.  See the sunrise and the sunset.  I created them just for you.  They are daily reminders of the love that I have for you.

See the stars in the sky at night.  Those small, bright objects come together to form a beautiful tapestry within the sky.  They too, are reminders that I love you, that I always see you, and that you are never apart from me.

See the world for what it is.  Despite all the hardships, all the pain and suffering, your world is still a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. 

On Christmas, see how humanity comes together in peace and joy.  See how during times of great crisis greatness and kindness comes from those who stand strong.

Your world is a beautiful world, just as I am beautiful.  Life is beautiful, and I am life.  Light is love, and I am the light. 

For every report of a hateful event taking place, a thousand loving ones take place that are never reported.  There is good and love in your world. 

I am that good and love.  I love you.  I seek you out.  I walk in the garden, calling out, "Adam, where are you?"  Love seeks out the beloved.  That is what I do.  I come to you, seeking you. 

I do not cause you hardships.  I do not send you pain.  I am standing by you during those times, offering a shoulder for you to lean on.

I do not cause grief and suffering.  Free will causes those.  I am all that is good, and all that is true.  I am love, and I love everyone. 

If you know that you are loved, that you are cared about, then you will be free to seek out that love.  And when you feel it, you will share that love.  You will thirst for it, and you will desire to give it to others.

When you love me, you have grown incredibly wise. 

*

As we walk through this wide and open area of the forest, ponder my words my child.  Think about them.  Are you using the tree test on them?

What is the next step on the path to loving God?  Let us review the previous three, just so we know what they are.  Know that God requires nothing from you.  Know that you can trust God.  Know that you can Love God.  Now comes the next step.

Use God.

Are you surprised by this step?  At first glance, it appears to be go completely against all that your holy books say about me.  They say that it is I that use you, rather then the other way around!  And in a way, they are right.  I do use you and work through you, more often then you know.

But can you use me?  That is a big question.

How can you use me?  That is simple.  I am, as I have told you before, life.  I am every person, every thing and every living being on your planet.  Therefore, when you talk with, be with, or even glance at someone else, you are really talking, being, and looking at me. 

It is a rule in all of creation that whatever you give to the universe, the universe gives back to you.  Therefore if you give laughter and happiness to the universe, the universe will give you laughter and happiness in return.

Therefore, you can begin to see how you can use me.  Know that I am here for you and your benefit.  I will happily help you in your life.  It pleases me when my creations ask me for help.

Therefore, you can use me to answer those prayers for help.  You can use me to spread love, joy, peace and happiness upon the earth.  That is how you can use me.  Ask me to be with you and to fill you with my essence, so that you may go forth and spread me throughout your world.

Use me to spread love and happiness.  Use me as your strength and your courage.  When you are weak, ask me to be your muscle.  When you are tired and weary, ask me to be there to lift you up.

Did you think that when I said "use me", I was saying that you could use me to get new cars, houses, and swimming pools?  No, no dear one!  When you use me to spread love through the world, you are giving to yourself as well.  For when you give love and joy to creation, creation gives you love and joy in return.

So when you want to use me, ask me to come to you and stand with you.  Ask me to fill you to overflowing with love so that you may share it with those around you.  When you use me to give you strength, love, joy and peace, then you will naturally want to share those things with others.

Are you beginning to understand now how you can use me?  When you truly want to use me, it will be to spread love throughout the world.  When you know and love me, your view of your own needs will begin to go down significantly.  You will think constantly on how you can help others.

Therefore, use me to spread love, forgiveness, acceptance, tolerance, kindness, gentleness, peace, joy, happiness, and any other love based emotion you can think of.  If you spread these things, then you will have them given to you in return.

After all, isn't love what you want the most in your life?

So when you use me, know that you are helping yourself.

If you know that you can use God to spread love in the world, then you have grown wise.

*

We are getting close to one of the most beautiful places in this forest.  Before it lies two more things you can know about how to have a relationship of love with me. 

We have talked about how you can know that God requires nothing of you.  We have talked about how you can know that you can trust God.  We have talked about how you can know that you can love God.  We have talked about how you can use God.  Now comes the next step.

Know that you can thank God.

This one is probably the easiest for everyone to understand.  For many do thank me for their blessings.

If you know that you can thank God, then your life will become more relaxed and happy.  How is this so?  Let me explain.

There is a saying that before you ask, I have already answered.  This is true.  If you ask me for a new house, know that I have given you the resources to get one.  Know that if you ask me for a partner to love, know that I have given you untold thousands for you to meet. 

Before you ask, I have already given.  All that is left is for you to grasp the resources I have given to you.  I have already given you the strength to get what you want.  That strength is buried within you.  All you have to do is find it.

Therefore, you can thank me for already giving you the resources and the strength you need to meet your dreams. 

What is something else you can thank me for?  You can thank me for never leaving you.  You can thank me for my never-ending love.  You can thank me knowing that I have saved you forever, that you will inevitably come to heaven (even if you go to hell).  If you know that I am with you always, even past physical death, then you will have much reason to be happy!

You can thank me for never judging you.  Your holy books talk of a "Last judgment" where all spirits will be tried and judged, then sent to hell or heaven forever.  This will not happen.  Why would I judge my children and send them someplace forever?  You do not understand my child how life never ends.  There is always life.  There is no death.  There may be death of the physical body, but you will never die.

Science can help us here.  Is it not known that energy cannot be created or destroyed?  Such is the same with you.  Energy can only take a different form.  And so it is with you.  You cannot be destroyed.  You cannot be created because you have always been alive.  You can only change form. 

On the topic of judgments, there is a life review when you pass out of the physical world.  You will have a chance to see everything you have ever done, seen, or thought.  But this is not a judgment.  It is simply a review so that you can see what you have done, and what you can learn from your life experiences.

You can thank me for always being with you, for always loving you, for never judging you, for never punishing you, for never harming you. 

When you learn to give thanks for what you have, you will receive even more goodness.  When you learn to give thanks for what you receive, you will greatly please the giver, who in turn will be motivated to give more and more to you.  And if you continue to give thanks, then the giving will continue.

When you learn to give thanks to God, you have grown wise.

*

We now come to the edge of the trees and towards the last step towards a loving relationship with God.  You now know the previous steps.  Let us say them again.

1.  Know that God requires nothing from you.

2.  Know that you can trust God.

3.  Know that you can love God.

4.  Know that you can use God.

5.  Know that you can thank God.

And know we come to this step.  It is the natural fulfillment of the previous steps.  If you know and have mastered them, then this step is easy.

6.  Embrace God.

When you can embrace God without fear or worry, then you have truly come far on the path of love.  When you can embrace God and life, then you can walk in the footsteps of peace and love. 

When you embrace God, you are embracing life itself.  Consequently, if you embrace life, then you are embracing me.  If you can go out your door every morning knowing that I am with you, and that I love you, and that all is well and unfolding as it should, then you are truly a son or daughter of God.

If you have touched a stranger with an act of kindness, whether it was a smile, a friendly look, or an offer of help, then you have learned not to fear life and you have learned to embrace it.

When you find yourself walking around thinking "How can I help others?" then you have embraced me.  For love is what I am, and what you are.  Together we can do so much. 

Love loves to help, give aid and comfort.  Love loves to hug, kiss and hold dear. 

Love loves to love.

God loves to love.

Know that when you go into the world to embrace it, I am right beside you.  When you come to me, I come to you.  When you long to hold me, I will do so with you. 

When you walk out your door and see the world as beautiful, even with its mistakes and fear filled people, then you truly know me.  You walk with me, and I with you.

When you make love your highest principle, then you are having a loving relationship with me, for love is what I am and what I do. 

When you dedicate your life to love, you embrace me, and I embrace you.  When you dedicate yourself to love, you and I are one, except that you are aware of it.

So love the world, and know that it is me.  Know that I am the world, and I love you.

If you can embrace me, then you are among the wisest in your world.

*

My child, there is one last step that you should know, one that you can truly understand when you have a loving relationship with me.

7.  Know that God loves you unconditionally, now and forever.