What is your secret??

My husband and I celebrate our 18^th wedding anniversary next week. I was working in the kitchen preparing dinner one evening. My youngest was helping me with dinner. She turned to me and said “Mom what is your secret? “ I thought for a moment not knowing what secret she was referring to. I asked what do you mean honey? You and Dad have been together for such a long time. How have you done it?  I turned to her and explained that the biggest strength in our relationship is God.

I remember making the invitations with my sister and I was thinking God, I want you there at my wedding. Not just on my wedding day, but in every day of our relationship. I want you to bless this marriage. I plan on growing old and grey with this man, but I can’t do it without you. So many times people get married and they forget that God wants to be a part of everything. Even the simple things.

Don’t get me wrong, we are far from the perfect couple. We both came to this relationship with excess baggage and hurts. Another thing is we are both pretty stubborn at times. I believe that the family who prays together stays together. 

We had so many people offer their opinions things like; never go to bed angry, Famous last words “Yes Dear”. Never hold a grudge, Say I love you at least once a day, never make decisions alone.

The best advice we had was from an elderly lady from our church. She said to always keep God first. Keep God in the marriage. She told me that Satan comes to ruin families. What better way to get to a family, then to split the marriage. Prayer is # 1 in your relationship.

I believe that marriage involves 2 people.  I do not see myself more important than my spouse. Marriage is a relationship between 2 people not one. I see so many times where it is all about the wife or it is all about the husband. I believe that putting each other first is very important.   I believe that your spouse needs to see love and respect for them daily.  I am not afraid to show affection. I am not afraid to show him I love him and would be nothing without him. Funny how some people look at that as sucking up. I don’t see it that way. God has built us to want love and affection.  I pray that my daughters learn from our example. I pray that when they are ready and they meet their partners that they know what a healthy relationship is.

When I got married it was not the thoughts of well if this marriage does not work out…

It was this is the man I will live the rest of my life with. This is the man I will grow old with. This is the man I will raise my children with. The man who one day, I will hold my grandchildren with. The man I will die with. For Better or For Worse.

I planned on going through the storms of life together hand in hand. No regrets and no looking back.

So when you ask what is our secret? Our secret is putting God first then, our spouse then ourselves.

All things work out for good when you put God first. 

All Things Beautiful

I remember as a little girl giving my mom little things that I had made. I never understood the pride she had. That was until she passed away and we had to clean out her house. She had an old vase that I had made and given to her. I remember how proud I was. Looking at it, I was thinking. "I am not sure what it is." I think it is a vase. Maybe it is a candy dish. I don't know, but  it is sure is ugly, but she treasured that gift so much, because it was from me. I had taken the time to make it for her. It meant a lot to me and obviously it meant a lot to her also. I remember sitting and holding it after she passed away and crying to think that she loved me so much she had kept this gift. It was slanted and it was all banged up and it just was not very nice in any way. You could not really put flowers in it because it was very shallow. However, my mom saw it as the most beautiful treasure ever. She saw the beauty in it. I had done my very best to make it for her. When no one else could see the beauty she saw it was from the heart and she treasured that forever.

In many ways that is like God with us. He sees us as his children. We are trying to please him in many ways. Sometimes we make a mess of it. But he knows our hearts he knows we have done our best. That is all he asks of us. That we do our best. We may look back and think, man I really messed that one up. And God is sitting up in heaven, saying well done they good and faithful servant. Sometimes we may not do anything in fear because we are afraid to mess it up. But God only asks for our best. And when we put our faith and trust in him. It will be our very best. Without him we are nothing. Without him we would surely fail. God only asked for their very best. That is all God is asking of us. He wants our very best.

Lord, help up to offer you our very best. And help up to trust in you and to remember when no one sees the beauty in things. You do because we are your children and you love us.

THE CROSS

With the Easter season upon us I was thinking about what the cross means to me. For some people it is a crucifix. The cross is a reminder that Jesus died on the cross for us. For others it is a symbol that reminds them that Jesus rose again and is no longer there. When I think of the cross it makes me think of Jesus’ strength and power to overcome anything. The bible tells us to take up our cross and follow after him.

The cross is where we lay our sins and sorrows. It is where we lay our burdens and problems. When we lay these things at the cross, we can receive God’s healing power and perfect peace. The joy of the Lord will be our strength. When we do this we can truly know Jesus’ power and strength.

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

  

I remember going to a camp retreat when I was a young adult. A huge wood cross stood at the front of the auditorium. The speaker had placed it there before the service. The message was on the power of the cross and what it means. I remember at the beginning of the service we were given a piece of paper and pencil. We were told to hold on to it we would need it at the end of the service. The end of the service came and the speaker encouraged us to write down anything that may be holding us back on that paper. One thing that was holding me was the past hurts and pains. There were things in my life that I did not feel I could let go of. My family was a mess at that time and it was holding me back. I had to learn to let my family go. I may not understand why or what was going on. I may never understand some things, but I needed to give it to God. I loved my family so much that it was hindering me from the joy I could have. The fighting and issues were destroying me. My past was another thing that was destroying me. People had abused me and hurt me in many ways. I was holding on to all these things and it was hindering me. I had been hurt by family, friends and church members.

The speaker then placed a hammer and some nails in front of the cross. He told us that God died on the cross so that we did not have to deal with this stuff. It was nailed to the cross when Jesus himself was nailed to the cross. He then called upon anyone who wanted to place their burdens and sins on the cross to come forward, and to nail them to the cross. I remember going up to that cross and nailing that paper to the cross. I also remember hearing the sound of that hammer as tears rolled down my face. I did not have to deal with that pain no more.

The end came and the speaker told us that it is easy to put those things on the cross. The bigger step was to leave them there. Too many times we hand things over to God only to walk away and drag them behind us. I made up my mind that day. I would not let those things hold me down anymore. I walked away, and I am so thankful that I was able to leave them there. That heavy weight on my shoulders I did not have to carry anymore. Jesus had taken all the bitterness and anger and replaced it for joy and love. I did not have to live as a victim anymore. I was a survivor and was going to live like one.

There is an old hymn that says "At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day."

This old hymn describes exactly what I felt that day. My burdens were rolled away and replaced with happiness and joy. I know that I could have never done this without the power of Jesus. He died on the cross many years ago so, I would never have to carry that pain and sorrow around with me again.

 I see many people from similar life styles that are still caring that baggage with them. I often say a silent prayer for them. I also thank God for healing me and for allowing me to leave that pain where it belonged on the cross. I had found victory.

 Through the cross he saves us and through the cross he will heal us. Victory only comes, when we stop trying to gain strength on our own. It comes when we lay our heavy baggage at the foot of the Cross. When we turn our lives over to God and are willing to let him take the reins. Only then can God take full control of our lives. He will then transform us into what he wants us to be.

God's Love

 It always amazes me on how so many religions and so many places have their own set rules, and if you do not follow them then you are not in. I am very glad that I belong to a group that the one in charge does not boot you for not following the rules. God has no stipulations. He has a wonderful book of rules. ( the bible) But he would  never kick us out for not following them. He forgives us when we fall. He loves us, and he accepts us regardless of our faults and our short comings. He just simply points the wrongs out so we can work on them to become a better person.

    I have a few friends and they are living a life completely unacceptable to God's word. At one point the one friend turned to me and said I don't understand, Is your church not against this way of life. We have met many Christians but none like you.  The churches we have gone to of many religion. They put us out of the church and turn us away. They will shut the doors on us, but you still love us. You never turn us away.  I turned to her and I said Yes my church is against this. I also do not agree with this life style. My bible states that what you are doing is wrong in God's eyes. However it is not my job to judge you. It is my job to show you God's love and for God to convict you, and to use me in anyway he can to show you why it is wrong. It is not my job to kick you out of the loop. It is not my job to condemn you.  In the end we both will stand before the King. In the end I will be judged the same as you. I will stand with the murders I will stand with all sinners. All sins great and small.

Romans 14:10 

" But why do you judge your brother?  Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. 

    What are we showing unbelievers by turning them away? When Jesus was here on earth he hung out with the prostitutes the tax collectors. He hung out with the diseased  and the unloving. So why is it that we can't see people for who they are. They are lost and they need to be shown the love of God. The one that has no stipulations, the one that loves us unconditionally. 

Mathew 7:1

“Do not judge or you will be judged.” 

    We all have struggles, we all have crosses to bare. I remember a few years ago. I was really struggling. I was sitting on the fence. So much had happened in my life. I was so mad at God and at everyone around me. I had been hurt by the church people. I had been hurt by family and everyone around me. I had just lost my Dad to cancer, and a lot of other things had come against me in life. I was just bitter. I had been talking to my one friend. And I had stated that I did not know where to turn. I was not sure what side of the fence I wanted to be on. If these were truly God's people I did not want no part of it. If God loved me why would he allow this all to happen. He turned to me and said Rose, I love you. I am here no matter what. I know that you will deal with this and that you will be ok. I do not judge you in anyway with your lifestyle. God loves you and he is the one that will judge you and not me. I got out of his car went into my house. And all night his words kept coming back to me. I love you and I do not judge you. I don't even know if he knows today how much of an impact those words would be to me today. Many others pointed fingers and their idol chitter chatter behind my back. But not this true friend who showed me the love of God. The love that says what you are doing is wrong but I still love you. Without that love at that time, I am sure I would have thrown in the towel and walked away. This is the love I am talking about. The true love of God.

    I think the greatest gift that God ever gave me was my kids. Until I became a parent myself. I never really understood the love of God. God's love for us is a lot like the love of a parent. Sometimes his love is even greater then a parent. He loves us unconditionally. My kids can do something and it upsets me but I will always love them regardless. They are my kids. And we too are God's kids and he will always love us unconditionally. In closing I just want to say, the next time you come across someone that you know is not living right or is just so unloving. Remember the love of Jesus. I am not saying agree with the sin but love the unloving. You may be the only bible that person may read today.

Daddy Catch

When my daughter was younger she use to stand on the top step and say “Daddy catch me”. She would leap into the air for my husband to catch her. She had the faith that Daddy would catch her. She had the faith that her father would not allow her to get hurt and that he would be there no matter what. Children have that wonderful faith. A faith that simple, direct and honest. This same faith is praised by God. He tells us that childlike faith will help us to find the kingdom of heaven.

Mathew 16:3

“Verly I say unto you. Except you be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

There are many different meanings of faith in the dictionary. One is to have confidence or trust in a person. Faith in another's ability. Another is belief that is not based on proof. When we put our faith in God, It is not scientific proof. It is not a random thing. It is an actual hope and belief that God's promises to us are true.

Hebrews 11:1

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

When I think of faith I remember a little song as a child that I use to sing.. It simply said walking by faith, and not by sight. I won't allow this circumstance to turn me left or right, trusting in his promises. I know that I am right I am gonna walk by faith and not by sight.

That is the type of faith we should have. No matter what storms come our way. We still trust God and his word to get us through it.

  

Mathew 17:20 says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.

So no matter what things come our way with the faith we can move those mountains out of our lives. We just have to have faith and ask.

That is the faith God wants us to have. He wants us to have that childlike faith, to be able to stand on the biggest problem and say Daddy catch. Just like my daughter did when she was little. I can see me standing on the top stair and saying Daddy catch. And God standing at the bottom saying: I will catch you.

There Is Strength In Our Struggles

Have you ever watched someone go through a battle? Only to question… Why Lord?  

Maybe it was your own struggle and you just did not understand why.

When you look into the bible you see many great men and women of God that had to struggle. Job was a mighty man of God and yet he still had his struggles.

Though those struggles and trials he became stronger.

James 1:2,3 say:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

It is those struggles and trails that make us stronger in our faith. It helps us to fly on our own.  

Did you know that when a butterfly starts to come out of its cocoon, It is the struggle that allows it to be strong and fly on its own?

A butterfly is supposed to struggle. In fact, the struggle to get out of the cocoon is what pushes the fluids out of the body and into its wings. Without that struggle that butterfly would never be able to fly. If you where to cut that butterfly free from its cocoon so it did not have to struggle, you would actually hurt the growth of that butterfly.

That struggle that you or your loved one face is supposed to happen. We will not grow in our faith or in life without it. We learn and become stronger when we struggle. The bigger the struggle the stronger we become.

We need to allow ourselves and others to struggle in order for us to grow.

So remember when you come across a struggle this is to help you not hurt you and say Thank you Jesus. Remember he is with you all the way. He will not cut you out of that cocoon but he will strengthen you to allow you to break free. And when you see someone struggle. Don't cut them free but pray for them and watch them turn into the most beautiful butterfly they are meant to be. We all need to struggle so we can fly.

Worship Him

 

 Worship seems to have such a big controversy on everyone. Some raise their hands towards heaven. Some sit in complete solitude. Some do it in private and quiet. God wants us to be totally excited about him. If the Queen and King were to come and visit you today how would you react??

    I remember in 1997 the Queen came to the town that I lived in. People lined the streets for hours, just so they could get to see her. They all wanted to see the Queen first hand. People would applaud as her car drove by them. Some would scream and cry because they were so overwhelmed to see the Queen. This was a chance to see their royal subject. Some tried to even reach out and touch her at some point.

    Why is it alright to have that much excitement for just another person, However when it comes to God, we don't have that same vigor? That same spark? He is greater then just royalty. He is our Lord and Savior. He is the one that gave us life. Without him we would be nothing. Without him we would surely fail. So why are we not more excited and more lively to praise and worship our heavenly father?

    Worship is something we can do individually, but God places special importance on believers worshiping together. Some people feel more comfortable with sitting in their pews and just being quiet. Being quiet is important too.

"Be still and know that I am God" ( Psalms 46:10)

   

Others raise their hands towards heaven and praise the Lord. In the bible many people praised God by raising their hands to heaven. Solomon stood before the altar and raised his hands toward heaven. ( 1Kings 8:22) Then there was David, who raised his hands to heaven in a form of complete serenity. ( Psalms 28:2)

Again David said

“I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.” (Psalms143:6,)

   The lifting of hands characterizes prayer in the bible. A symbol of supplication without the need to identify it as prayer. For example, Jeremiah urges, "Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children".

    David also danced before the Lord as a form of worship. Michal saw him and had hatred in her heart for him. God wants us to be on fire for him.

Luke 19: 39 says that I tell you , he replied, “If they keep quiet , the stones will cry out.

    He wants us to give him our all. God is the reason for our lives. What greater reason to rejoice. He is our all in all. And he wants us to praise him no matter how we do it.

Winning the Race

  

 Have you ever watched a baby who is just learning to walk? They stumble and they fall.  I remember when my oldest first started to walk we had moved to a new apartment and it has enamel floors. It was not as soft as the old apartment because there were no carpets. She would sit on the floor and not budge. She was clumsy and unstable and it hurt when she fell. If we stood with her and helped her she had enough faith in us that she would try. Step by step she learned to take bigger steps. Now she is running the race. This is a lot like our daily walk with Christ. Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we fall. When we first start to walk we seem to fall all the time. Sometimes we are fearful because we know that if we fall it will hurt. We need to lean on our father to help us walk. He is there to guide us and to pick us up when needed. He brushes us off and stands us on our feet again. A lot like a parent when their child falls.

Psalms 37:24 says though he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

    Little by little we learn to walk on our own with God by our side. Eventually as we read his word, and start to take the steps that we need to take to grow. We get better at it. Sometimes things are put in our way along the road. And sometimes we still fall. Once again God is there to brush us off. Many times along the way we are full of regret and we are hard on ourselves. We may become discouraged. God is there with his gentle hand to guide us and to help us along the way. He is never harsh he is never condemning. He is our father and he wants us to walk with him daily so we can win the race.

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

   

Today was a crazy day. We had a crazy snow storm last night. I was getting things together to start my day when I heard from the other room… “Can I go back to bed now?”  It was my eldest daughter. She had received a text from a friend claiming that school buses had been cancelled. After some researching on my part I discovered that it was not our school buses that had been cancelled, but the catholic school board buses. It put everyone behind because she did not want to get up and get ready for school because in her mind, there was no school.  She dreaded the thought of going out in the cold.   It did not matter what I said. I am Mom I was misunderstood. Her friend said there was no school.  I proceeded to tell her that did not matter what her friend said. I am Mom and she was going to school. I text one of my youngest daughters’ friends, to make sure that the bus had indeed picked her up and sure enough it had. This was not the news she wanted to hear. She knew that the bus was coming but still proceeded to object. She did finally catch her bus with much hesitation and complaints but in the end she went.  I am sure this little story sounds familiar to many as a child and as a parent.

Once they had left and I sat down with my tea and relaxed before proceeding onto my day. I thought about how this day reminds me of us sometimes when it comes to God’s direction on our lives. Sometimes God shows us, or directions us to do things and we don’t like the answers he has given us. So we object and we doddle along because we don’t want to do what he is directing us to do.  Just like my daughter this morning who was objecting because she wanted to stay in her comfort zone of a cozy warm home over drifting cold snow. To me that makes a lot of sense. I too would rather stay in my cozy warm home all day if I could.  Many times God’s direction takes us out of the comfort zone.

Maybe the direction is just to exercise our faith in God. First we need to listen to his voice. This could lead us to walk into uncomfortable situations.  It could also be that God is directing you to love the unloving or to forgive your enemy. It could be that he is directing you to reach out to those in need. Maybe it is to just let go and let God. I know my hardest challenge to just hand it over to God and leave it there. I pray for something and then the next minute I find I take it back. My comfort zone is trust. I have a problem of trusting because of things I have dealt with in my past. It takes a lot for me to put my trust in something or someone. Over the years my trust is better.  When you step out of your comfort zone at first it will never be comfy. As we give it to God and we step out in faith, it will become easier. Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy but it is all worth it in the end.   

Whatever your comfort zone is I encourage you to take the steps to step out of your comfort zone today. 

Just Say The Word

Why do we pray? We pray for a variety of reasons. First of all if you had a friend and you never talked to him. Would your relationship grow? Would you get to know that person without talking? God has called us into a relationship with him. Relationships require communication. Prayer is communication between you and God. We are taught in the bible several times the importance to prayer. It draws us closer to him. Through prayer we become renewed and transformed. It reminds us that we are not totally dependent on ourselves but on God. It allows us to get to know God. He already knows everything about us. He created us and he even knows the numbers of hair on our head. God has a plan for each and everyone of us. How are we suppose to know what his plans are if we do not talk to him?

 God reveals himself to us thought prayer.

 “Teach me to do your will , for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on a level ground” (Psalms143:10)

 We pray because prayer relieves our weariness. God commands us to pray.

  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mathew 11:28)

  “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jerimiah 29: 12-13)

In this crazy world we pray for an antidote to anxiety. .

  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Most importantly we pray because God cares for us.

  “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1Peter 5:7)

He is interested in every little detail of our lives. He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives. He promised that he will be there for us in every way. He promises to listen to us, to help us and to protect us. When we pray we are surrendering our thoughts worries and desires to him. We pray because it shifts our attention to him. Who greater to hand all our cares over to, then the one that can do immeasurable things, greater then we could ever imagine. we can never limit God. He is capable to do anything. 

We gain wisdom and understanding when we pray.

  “If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

  “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

God also extends his power to us through prayer. This is so we may resist temptation.

  “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” (Mathew 26:41)

With prayer you will always have an available shield of protection..

All you have to do is just say the word.

Waiting On The Lord

  

Have you ever had a request that you brought before God to only get the answer, WAIT!!

Isaiah 40:31 says But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

   God does not promise us an easy time of waiting. However he does promise us strength to those that trust and obey. He promises us that we will mount up with the wings of eagles. The bald headed eagle has a wing span of anywhere from 6-7 feet. And can weigh as much as 15 pounds. Their wing span is amazingly huge. Have you ever watched an Eagle Fly? If so you will see that they sore forever. They ca

   Throughout the bible God’s answer was wait. Could you imagine being in an ark with all kinds of animals in a closed in area, for 40 days and 40 nights and still have to wait for God to clear the land. I am sure Noah as faithful as he was. He was a little hopeful to get out of that ark soon. . He was probably so excited to finally get out of that old ark. I am sure he was very thankful when that last Dove did not come back. However he waited and God brought him through it.

   There is a saying, "If God brings you to it… He will bring you through it."

God works for those that love him and wait on him. As we open ourselves to him and his work. He blesses us beyond all measures. Some people look at waiting as being lazy or maybe indifferent. That is far from the truth. Waiting is being ready to obey God’s commands. It is kind of like a soldier on the battle fields waiting for that next command. The command center holds all the shots and timing can be everything. If that soldier goes before his call, He can ruin the whole mission. God is our command center. He says wait. We wait because we know his timing is right. If we were to do it in our timing, we could end up making an even bigger mess of things. When we have the patience and faith, and wait on God. He knows what is best and we will soar like eagles.

If you are waiting on something I encourage you to wait. The answer will come in God’s time. I have experienced this just recently. My family and I have been praying for something for almost 3 years. I was at a point that I thought well maybe God don’t care about my small needs. We are seeing door open that will bring that prayer request to reality.  All things will come to pass if we only wait and Trust. 

Give Me A Heart Like You

I was sitting at the computer checking in on a few things. I saw a saying that said “What a beautiful place it would be if people had hearts like Gods.”

Now for those who are not aware of this. I am partially dyslexic. The sentence I was reading was not what I thought. It read “What a beautiful place it would be if people had hearts like dogs.”I had a good chuckle once I realized what it really said. Then I thought about what I thought I read originally. What a beautiful place it would be if we had a heart like God’s. Could you imagine the difference it would be if we all had hearts of God. I took a look at God’s heart and what that meant.

God’s Heart sees people for who they are. He looks at their hearts. He does not judge them on the outward appearance. God looks at the inward. He loves unconditionally. He does not compare us for what we have or do not have. He does not compare us over who has committed what sin. He never compares us to others around us. He loves us for who we are. He loves us because he looks at the inside and he sees great things. He loves us so much. He loves us unconditionally.

 What does it mean to love unconditionally? The definition in the dictionary for unconditional says, “not limited in any way: complete and absolute.”

 I never really understood this meaning of love until I had my kids. I have always told my girls that no matter what they do or say, I will always love them. I promise no matter what I will always be there for them. They may hurt me and I may not always agree with their choices, however I promise to love them unconditionally. That is my job as their mother.

 If you looked back at the last 24 hours of your life. Would you see God’s heart? Would you see people for who they are? Would people see a change in your life? Would your family see something new? What about your co-workers? Would they sense a difference in you? What about people who are unemployed, or do not have the fortune that you and others have? Would you treat them differently? Would your friends and those who know you detect more joy? What about your enemies? Would you treat them with more mercy? What would God’s heart make you feel? Would it be any different than your own heart? What other differences would you feel? Maybe it would be less stressful; it could even affect your mood swings, your temper even your sleepless nights. Maybe you would see the sunset and God’s creation in a different light. Maybe you would see even death differently.

 What about your schedule and the business of your life. If God was to take over your heart, would anything change?

 The bible tells us in Philippians 2:5 that we are to have the same mindset as God with others. God loves us as we are but he does not want us to be the way we are. He wants us to be more like Jesus. He wants us to love with his heart. I am making a commitment to God today to have a heart like him. My prayer is that God will make me more like him. I encourage you to look at your life and to do the same.  Can you imagine what a beautiful place this would be if we all had a heart like God?