Gloria to God:

Dear God, I did what you said to do in the May 23 Heavenletter and substituted the word "doubt" for the word "sin" etc., as You suggested. It made an enormous difference in the tone and the feel of the quotations from the New Testament.

There is one quotation, however, where substituting the word doubt for sin didn't seem to work.

In 15:22 it says that Jesus said, "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [doubt]." That sounds like Jesus caused the doubt.

I can guess what is meant, but would You clarify it for the record?

God:

To have doubt without Jesus' input would have been understandable. But to have doubt after Jesus looked at them and spoke to them is less understandable. So doubt prior to Jesus' light would have been one thing. To doubt subsequently gives a greater responsibility to the one who then persists in doubt. Before Jesus' presence, doubt. After Jesus' presence, "guilty" of doubt. That is what is meant.

Yes, you did guess because you are growing more inclined to My thinking.

Gloria:

Thank You, dear God.

Abby inspires and uplifts, and I feel my concerns are often so petty and hers so vast. Isn't there a quote in the Bible that says the child shall lead?

God:

Yes.

Gloria:

I seem to feel extra or deeper gratification when You interpret the Bible. I thought of a few reasons why that could be so.

One is the broadness of the subject itself.

Second, in these instances, the relatedness to Christ. Third, that I am ignorant of the Bible but maybe in another lifetime, the Bible was my field. Maybe I was some kind of Biblical scribe once, and a sense of familiarity comes back.

Fourth, my personal ignorance and the strength of Your answers confirm that I really am a transcriber, and that that's just the tiniest difference from subscriber.

God:

All of those.

Gloria:

When I went to public school so many years ago, the teachers read the Bible aloud every morning. Anything I do know of the Bible in this lifetime comes from that daily few minutes reading. It was such a good thing for me. Some lines have stuck in my head. At the time, I had no idea that it meant anything to me. It was just something that went on in school like the pledge of allegiance and taking attendance.

That You are winnowed out from schools, like it's an error to include You, that bothers me.

God:

But I cannot be removed. You know that.

The fact that mention of Me is not allowed in public schools may make the need for Me more obvious. In any case, I cannot be kept out. I cannot be expelled. Only the mention of My name is suspended.

Gloria:

This makes me appreciate religion, dear God, where people gather in Your Name.

God:

Yes.

Gloria:

Right now I am sitting in my office and the scent of the flowers in bloom comes in. It is like a scent of Heaven.

God:

It is a reminder of Heaven. It is also a reminder of neutrality. You cannot hold on to a scent. That beautiful scent is a reminder of non-attachment. That is how people dear to you must be in your life. You receive their essence as they give it freely to you. Can you imagine demanding that a flower give you its scent, thinking that a flower is obliged to, or because it once did, that it must continue? Can you imagine being hurt that a flower did not offer its scent? Can you imagine feeling rejected?

Give to people the freedom you give to flowers, and all will be free.

Gloria:

Lauren and others have written to you expressing how much the enjoyments of the world mean to them.

I seem to be in the place where they don't. I feel that what should give me pleasure in ordinary life doesn't very much. Food isn't even tasting good to me anymore. I'm in the place where all I want is You, dear God. I feel that the world is to be enjoyed, and I don't especially. I'm not where I should be.

God:

I want you to be where you are.

Gloria:

I think I envy people who enjoy the relative so much. They get up in the morning and smoke a cigarette and drink coffee and go fishing or whatever, and they're happy. They're not worrying about the meaning of life and all. They're living it, dear God.

God:

And so are you. Only it's a different life. It's yours. It's your choice. You go where you take yourself.

Gloria:

This is not a new development, dear God, that the relative falls short for me.

God:

I know.

Gloria:

People often ask, What are you going to do today? or What did you do this weekend? However I answer that question, I feel hollow.

It's big thing to most people what they do. Mostly I don't have much to report, but even when I do, it seems like nothing.

A niece in California and a nephew in Alaska have sent me tickets to attend a wedding and a bas-mitzvah. I am glad they want me to attend, and I am glad to go, but I don't really care, God. I wouldn't be unhappy if I couldn't go. I can't seem to get excited about positive things.

I can still get angry, but I'm not sure I can get happy.

God:

Maybe you already are. Maybe relative happiness is just knowing that you exist. Maybe relative happiness is just being nice to yourself. Try being satisfied with yourself rather than dissatisfied. Practice being pleased, dear one, rather than displeased. Start with yourself. Look for Me in your daily life. Find Me there. I don't have to be somewhere else. Pull your heart to Me. Celebrate life with Me today.

* * *

Jon to Heavenletters:

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Abby's Biblical questions and God's responses. Especially yesterday's Heavenletters where God suggests to put the word "doubt" in place of evil and Satan. Wow! What a relief. Profound and so simple. Makes so much sense. It really changes the meaning and understanding of all of those passages. I want to continue Bible study with God. Thank you, Abby, and God.

God:

Thank you, Jon.

Ruth to Heavenletters:

Dear God, the May 22 message about who owns anger in a situation was very helpful to me. Thanks to Gloria for asking the question.

I am constantly grateful for all the wonderful blessings that You shower on us all, through Heavenletters and in every way.

Your loving daughter, Ruth

God:

And I am grateful to the hearers of My answers who take them to heart and carry Me with them during the day so I am not alone.