Suzy, very upset after a fight with her friend at school, reflects, with the help of her mother, on the attributes of God. She understands God’s perfection and goodness and seeks to act like Him, leading her to take the first step in trying to make peace with her friend.
Based on The Spirits’ Book – Book 1 – Chapter 1 – Attributes of Good
Being Good
By Bernadete Leal
Suzy ran into the house very upset and went straight to her room. Her mom, noticing something was wrong, went to check on her.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Her mom asked.
“I had a fight with Gabriella,” Suzy said with tears in her eyes.
“What happened?”
“She was mean to me, and I got mad. I said I hated her and didn’t want to be her friend anymore.”
“So, is it true?”
“Well, I still want to be her friend, but it was all her fault. She made me do that!”
“Honey, people do and say mean things when they are mad.”
“Why?” Suzy asked.
“Because we have all kinds of feelings inside that we don’t know how to deal with. But another reason is that we are humans and not perfect.”
“Perfect? What is perfect?” Suzy asked curiously.
“Imagine someone very wise with no flaws and who never makes a mistake.”
“Wow, I don’t know anyone like that. Do you, Mom?”
“Yes”
“Who?”
“God!”
“Really? I would love to be perfect?”
“That’s nice, but it is a pretty hard task and takes many reincarnations.”
“So, you are telling me God doesn’t make any mistakes?”
“Nope.”
“Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever?”
“Nope.”
“That’s awesome! I want to be a God, then.”
“Well, we already have one God, a unique God. But I have an idea, instead of trying to be a God, why don’t we try to act more like the God we know?”
“And how do I do that?”
“First, you must learn more about God, His attributes, and qualities. In other words, what God is like. Get it?”
“Kind of.”
“Let me give you an example. Goodness. God is all good!”
“Dah, mom. I had already figured that out. But, of course, God is good. I don’t think God would be perfect if He were mean and bad, right?”
“Correct. So, instead of trying to understand all about God, why don’t we concentrate on God’s goodness for now?”
“Okay, then I want to be good.”
“That’s a great start, and how are you planning to do that?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about Gabriella. I was not nice to her, but she was not nice to me either.”
“So what do you think God, in all His perfection, goodness, and wisdom, would tell you what to do?”
“Maybe… apologize?”
“That would be a great start.”
“I guess I could give her a call. But mom, what if she doesn’t want to talk to me?”
“It is okay. At least you did your part and tried. But I have a suggestion, why don’t we pray first to God to help you with this problem?”
“Can we do this now, or do we have to go to a special place to pray to God?”
“God is everywhere, sweetie. We can do this here and now, and He will hear us.”
Suzy and her mom were silent for a few seconds, and then she started praying.
“Dear God, I learned that you are perfect and good, and that’s pretty cool! Trying to be perfect may be a little bit hard for me now, so I want to work on being good. Sometimes, it is difficult, but I can do it with your help. I wanted to be nice to Gabriella today, but she hurt me, and I hurt her feelings, too, because I was mad. God, I don’t feel good about it, and please help me to be friends with Gabriella again. Amen.”
“That was a heartfelt prayer, sweetie.”
Suzie’s mom left the room to prepare dinner, and Suzy was on the phone. Suddenly Mom could hear Suzy talking and laughing. It sounded like Suzy and Gabriella were good friends again.
