Being born is a surprise to each of us. The first breath we take, the first light we see, the startling sounds of the world around us: they all come as a surprise. We don't choose any of it. But we have been chosen.
As people of faith living in the US, we are free to practice our faith, to see God as a loving and forgiving God, to show respect to other faiths and belief systems. We are free to to treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves. We have been chosen by God to take care of the earth, and to enjoy the many gifts we have been given.
We are also free to feel pain, and sorrow, and sadness...to have bad days and hopeless moments...to make mistakes and suffer in all kinds of ways. Through it all, God promises to love us 100%. No matter what.
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This July, when we celebrate our freedoms, we invite you to celebrate your human potential for goodness. Believe in someone unconditionally. Withhold judgment of another person. Forgive someone, maybe even yourself. Strive to be good, and fail. Or strive to be better and succeed.
Because you can. Because you have been chosen by God, who loves you.