Some of the most impressive words once heard in a sermon involved the uniqueness of each living person: “Each of us has love to give to God—that no one else can give.”

As exquisite as this blue planet appears, there is something even more beautiful. The giftedness, talents and abilities plus the endurance and determination that is instilled in us by God and that flows from us daily. Herein lies the earth’s richest resource. And, the greatest of all is love.

At times, it may be hard to believe there is any great, innate specialness about ourselves. We might even buy into the lie that the gist of life lies in accumulating money and things, getting the degrees “we need” . . . achieving—while knowing the right people—and being “beautiful.” This is the “word” of the world but should not become our all-consuming drive. Watch out, though, because environmental conditioning is strong. The media is pervasive, telling us continually that we need this or that to be “enough” or, so we can be happy. Refuting such deceiving falsehood means we invest ourselves in finding what is true. And, the truth is a good life is all about how we love!

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Love shines, especially in families. The following letter of a son to his parents portrays the power family has in finding faith:

“Today, I wanted to reach out to my mother and dad and thank you for loving and supporting me. Your support and love has allowed me to understand how to love and support others and to believe in myself. I am not perfect, by nature I am very aggressive and seek challenges from all comers yet your loving kind spirits taught me to pick my battles and to love my family. MOM-you gave me life, love, support, strength and desire to follow Jesus. DAD-you loved my mother, calmed her fears and provided a road map for how a man should work, support and care for his family. When I was a teenager I trembled with fear God would take my mother (then with a long term, major illness). And, through it all, I have learned to not focus on my fears but to focus on giving things beyond my control to God. Today, as I continue my journey of wisdom, I reflect on the examples of your lives and want you to know I am thankful for you.”

Perhaps you know those who have suffered horrendous wounds—or, losses that have created great fears. You have seen how these experiences changed much about how life is for them, or for your own family. Arising from that and living past it is what makes us like the proverbial Phoenix that finds us coming out of the ashes of pain, arising to make as much good happen as possible while here on planet earth. Moving past great difficulties—or helping another live past what has happened to them—includes acceptance of the mix we have in this life, both good and bad. In the end, life can become transformed through this “resurrection,” which resonates with the Christian story.

Sometimes this happens while carrying another (or others) within a life of prayer. Having an ailing child, parent or spouse, may bring out in us some of the greatest of all virtues: perseverance, humility, patience and generosity of heart. These are not things we seek or want but they can truly become “riches,” making us more able to be compassionate, accepting and forgiving of others. When all is said and done, we learn that love is the greatest entity in the universe.

A question I hear, at points, within my work as a chaplain is, “What does God expect of me?” I know the answer to the question is something that each individual has to discover for herself or himself. Yet, I am able to read or recite the Twenty-third Psalm to them and to ask, “How hard would it be to just put your trust in a loving God and let Him lead you through life, then on into eternity when it is time for life on earth to end?”

In truth, letting the great, loving Shepherd lead us through all the ups and “down-unders” of life tenderizes the heart and softens us through our simply letting love lead. It is the fact of our finding ourselves so very loved by God that brings tenderness to our hearts . . . making us exceedingly able to give that love to others.