I have a father who loves me. He knows all the laws of nature, and he tries to teach me so that I will experience joy instead of sorrow, peace instead of war, pleasure instead of pain.

I don’t always believe my father. I don’t always trust his motives. I am young and foolish.

He tries to teach me. He talks to me at the level of my understanding, using language expressly for my benefit, but sometimes I don’t understand what he is saying, as a result I think and do things and get in trouble.

He still loves me in spite of me not listening to him, not obeying his counsel and advice, and he is kind to me when I suffer because of my ignorance or willful conduct.

He told me that if I will not learn by his counsel I will yet learn by the things I suffer.

Often my father tells me stories, parables, so that I will more easily understand what he is trying to teach me, to help me avoid pain and experience pleasure. My father says that everything he tells me is for my benefit, because he loves me. He says he doesn’t do anything to hurt me. As I get older I’m inclined to believe him.

Sometimes my father used harsh language to try and teach me. He says it is better that he uses harsh language in hopes I will obey him and thereby avoid the harsher consequences that come by disobeying the laws of nature that I do not know.

I am slowly learning that my father does indeed love me, so I am more trusting of his counsel, yet, because of who and what I am, I still do stupid and foolish things, and suffer as a result. It pains my father when I act stupid and suffer.

Today, I totally trust my father. I have come to realize I hardly know anything, but this I now know: he loves me, even as I love my children, and I absolutely know that everything he does is for my good, even though I don’t understand the reasons for what he tells me (even as my children don’t understand some of the counsel I give them).

Being young and stupid (willful and disobedient to my father’s counsel because of my immaturity and nature at this point in my development) I suffer the consequences, BUT, I understand fully that my suffering is my fault, not my father’s. All he does is try and teach me the consequences (pain or pleasure) that come by disobeying or obeying the laws of nature. However, I’m not as immature as I used to be, for this I know, my father does all things for my good, and though I still don’t understand much of what he tells me, I receive his counsel and the consequences of the laws of nature with a thankful heart.

I TOTALLY TRUST MY FATHER, AND AS A RESULT, I RECEIVE ALL THINGS WITH THANKFULNESS. nem