When I was young, I was taught that families are an important part of God's schoolhouse here on earth. Over the past few days, I've seen the nature of the universe in microcosm with my youngest daughter. The other night, I was teaching her how to shampoo her hair by herself while she showered. She was so anxious to learn how to do such an important (in the eyes of a 6 year old) task on her own. Her eagerness lit up her entire face, and she beamed when she got it right. I smiled to myself and felt that familiar twinge of truth in my heart. Surely, the happiness I felt is how God feels when he sees each of us develop our own God-like potential.

Today, I experienced the opposite end of the spectrum. It seems my daughter was responsible for the destruction of a metal cookie cutter several days ago, not the friend she told us had done it. She was so upset about having done it, and then lying to us about it, that she cried for half an hour straight. My wife and I each held her in our arms, told her we loved her no matter what, that it was wrong to lie, but everyone makes mistakes. She's a strong-willed child, and she had a difficult time apologizing to my wife (the owner of the cookie cutter). It took her a while but she did it, and she's back to normal now.

I'm sure we've all had similar experiences when we were young. I know I lied to my folks about toilet-papering the neighbor's yard, and suffered the consequences when I was ratted out. We've all learned valuable life lessons, some the easy way, some the hard way. Some lessons are common ones nearly everyone shares, and some lessons are more specific, geared toward individual needs for growth.

This is the nature of God's mystery. We all have a piece of God within us. The purpose of our existence is to recognize that truth, and then maximize our own Godliness. Becoming like God is an extremely long (eternal perhaps?) process. Just as one year at school isn't enough to teach us all there is to know about math or history, one lifetime isn't enough for us to perfect our God-like nature.

Reincarnation is the path toward God. Many important lessons must be learned here on Earth, and in the spirit realm between incarnations. The challenges we face vary from lifetime to lifetime. It may be dealing with poverty in one life, and then fabulous wealth in another. Receiving hatred and prejudice in one life, then having roles reversed to see how you treat others from a position of power.

Karma is the law of the universe. As we sow, so shall we reap. Some karmic cycles are completed within one life, some patterns continue over many lives. Along the way, we'll all make mistakes, but God will continue to love us and the schooling will continue. We never have to doubt God's love. What may be in doubt is our willingness and desire to learn and grow.

Do we have the natural inquisitiveness of a child? Or are our minds fully ossified with smug self-righteousness? Are we trying to make progress, or just floating along with the current? Do we try to nurture love in our hearts, or sow disharmony wherever we go? I've heard it explained that every person is on the path toward God, some are just moving faster than others. I hope that becoming more like God will be our strongest desire, because I truly believe all our desires are granted us. I hope we never lose the joy of self-discovery (which in many cases leads to God-discovery), no matter what challenges lie in our path. They're there because we need them to grow. With the right attitude, not only will we maximize our growth, but we'll make the world a better place along the way. May God bless you as you journey.