Many of you have heard your minister, priest, rabbi, Imam, or pastor tell you that we are to “…become perfect as God”. You might ask, as I did when I was much younger, “But, what for?!!! That doesn’t sound like any fun.”

The situation is really pretty simple. People are born, live, and die. But, what comes after you are dead? The great religions of the world, and the prophets such as Jesus and others, have told us that there is life after death. Jesus proved this by rising from death three days after he was killed. He told us that he went to visit his Father (God, the Creator) in Paradise (Heaven).

Jesus told us that we can do the same. But there is something necessary we need to do. In order to enter heaven, we need to try to become as “perfect” as God. Well! You and I know that is impossible! What we have been told by Jesus and the other prophets is that our INTENTION for living is what is important, and then trying to fulfill that intention. Look at it this way, some people require their visitors to remove their shoes before entering the house. Most of us accept that as a pretty normal request. By removing our shoes we have shown our willingness to be good guests and visit with our friends. For us to enter heaven, the only request that is made for us to enter is to live with the intention to become the best person we can be in this lifetime.

Because the “Fragrance of God” is within each of us, It gains the experience of what it is like for us to become the best person we can in this lifetime. This is the most intimate and vicarious relationship that can ever exist between God and us as we make decisions and experience living life from moment-to-moment, and decision-to-decision. It is by our decisions and our actions that we learn how to live this life without creating conflicts with other people, and trouble for our self. As we live life, God’s Fragrance helps us understand those decisions better so that we make good decisions that contribute to this life and to our life after death.

That’s probably a lot to understand whether you are 8 years old or 18 years old. Some people will easily understand that, and some may never understand it. The final result of living is that you are responsible for your decisions. Some people try to play it safe and not make any decisions, but you are also responsible for your failure to make decisions that help your life and others. Choosing not to make a decision is a decision!

As you live your life, you will see others who seem to have an easy life, people who don’t have to make decisions, either tough ones or easy ones. The problem with an easy life is that there are no challenges to learn from. Learning how to live life and grow through its challenges is much like learning to play tennis or lacrosse, for example. Sometimes you will decide how to strike the ball, and it will go where you want it to go. At other times, it may go somewhere else. Life’s decisions are like that, too. And sometimes it just helps to have a coach to help you with your stance, swing, running, and positioning. When in doubt about a decision, ask someone who has already made that decision correctly.