by Ernesto Garcia
I recently joined FLCC and as some of you may know our primary objective is to find leadership talent that helps corporations build different type, of projects. It’s been fascinating to learn about how a group of people come together and develop complex projects such as hotels, multifamily complexes among other projects, that we get to enjoy.
At the same time I started participating in FLCC; my local church invited me to join in a group that was going to study how to pray daily, the pastor sent text messages that I usually got early in the morning when I was about to start the day.
As I was getting myself acquainted with the construction industry, and after reading my message of the day I found myself imagining God’s role as creator and builder of everything we get to enjoy today; I imagine him planning and developing the lengths of the sea, engineering the valleys and mountains, measuring the distance from the ocean to the heaven, taking the measurements to create our world.
Wow, I didn’t know, God is in the construction business!
To be honest, the prayer campaign at the beginning for me meant an opportunity to learn about how to get most of my prayers answered, based on my own needs and wants. It wasn’t until the last week of the campaign when I learned what was happening in our neighborhood, right in the center of our community in the campus where my daughter attends school, the unthinkable was taking place in front of our own eyes. The following 8 hours after that was an experience that could be taken from a horror movie but by the grace of God we were one of the lucky families, and we have our daughter safe with us.
After that day, my prayers took another tone, prayers of complete thankfulness for my child being safe, and a plea for hope, faith, and peace for the families that lost a loved one in such a tragedy, under those terrible circumstances.
There are no words one can say to a family living that nightmare and I broke into tears when attending different events organized in the community, the grieving parents were giving us hope, and challenging us to come back to the original plan of love and care for one another. They were inviting us to join forces in changing our current numb spiral and hypnotic ways that are bringing us to nonsense acts like this, and to return the values that made this nation amazing back to our schools.
Before I thought that the purpose of religion was primarily to help us get to heaven after we die, well now I am thinking God sent his son mainly to talk to us about how to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth while we’re here and when our children and our grandchildren are here!
I learned there is a model prayer, which says; may your kingdom come, may your will be done, down here on earth as it is in heaven, is a very different understanding of what our creator’s plan is about when we see his message centered on the construction of his kingdom. But what does that mean? What does the kingdom of God mean? Well, it changes the way you look at people; people look at people of other nationalities, races, age group, political ideas, and other religions differently.
You look at peace and reconciliation and conflict in a very different way, it seems now natural in the realm of this world to run over others, separate families, insult or kill people. We let little kids become educated by a cellular phone and then throw them in prison and throw away the key. But if you’re part of the kingdom of God, you can’t treat other people that way, in the kingdom of God a person can’t get to the point of ending the lives of innocents to release his own pain.
If you see someone who’s lonely, and you visit them. If you see someone who’s cold, and you give them clothing. If you teach values to a little child, you know in those moments God’s blueprint is being built on earth because God cares about that child, God cares about those orphans, and God cares about our kids that are hurting in our schools.
When talented people decide that they’re not going to use their talents and influence only to keep improving their portfolio, but when they reach a point where they say gosh I have enough and there are people in such need. Now I’m going to use my time, my energy, my voice, and my vote on behalf of people who are suffering and torn and oppressed and forgotten, at that point they are not just a citizen of this world, at that point they are acting as a builder of God’s kingdom.
Our world is a divine creation and prayer has been given to us as our communicating tool not only to ask for our needs or wants, but for receiving our instructions to meet our purpose in this big construction site.
At the end of our lives, I imagine our creator as the supreme developer of this world, receiving us in heaven and as we turn in our hats, l don’t envision him asking us only about our sins and behaviors, my daunting thought is that when that day comes, he will ask me, he will ask us; what have you done with what I gave you?
What have you done with the time, the relationships, the resources, the unique abilities I gave you, the ordained experiences good and bad I allowed in your path, show me what you did with what I gave you?
My prayers also changed and now are not centered as much on my own needs, my prayer now is that we accept the offer to become construction workers for God’s plan for our world today, he is calling us as we are, we don’t have to be perfect, we don’t need any affiliation or religion, we just need to be available and start with our families, in our workplace, and our communities.
Thank you for sharing
Thank You, Linda!
Mr. Garcia,
i have just finished reading your comments. You have realized what few others have with the issues that are plaguing our society now, with the tragic shootings in out schools and the deterioration of our society, especially our young people who actively seek to take the lives of others. In addition, I can further tell you from personal experience that when a person gives themselves to God and let’s him have control of a building project, whether it is a commercial building or a custom or spec home, the results can be something that no man can accomplish on his own.
If we can continue to cause people to come to God and learn, understand and practice what God’s kingdom is here on earth and learn from the teachings of his Son while we walked among us, then there won’t be such a thing as gun control, horrific videos, spewed hatred based on race or other ethnic differences.
I applaud you for your comments and wish you continued success in your personal growth.
Cordially,
Loren Mogensen
Thank you, Loren, for your comment.
Thamk you for this beautiful message.
Thank you Karen!
Prayer and focused positive thoughts DO make a difference, and they can be felt. My personal prayers begin with a focus on my family, and work outward to relatives, friends, neighbors, and all others that are in need, etc.,…but not just using words. I pour feelings and good intent into each grouping. I include all the people of the world (because I am not omnipotent, so I can’t fairly judge or apply mercy), and the creatures that make life so interesting and beautiful, and places… including my gratitude.
I also pray that I will make WISE CHOICES and be able to help others, then I find little ways to do that. I was asked once why I prayed about making wise choices (she asked if it mattered which orange juice or which car I buy!); and the reason is that it can mean having an extra can of something on hand next week when a neighbor needs it, or buying a great watermelon for my family, or taking a route I don’t usually use and missing an accident, or learning how to save a life because I listened. I actually saved a life because I was paying attention when it mattered. Sometimes it is a bandaid for a crying little boy, or encouragement for a stranger, or offering help to find information. I’m as flawed as anyone, but I think it makes me a little better—not to help others necessarily—but to pray for guidance, then to be aware of opportunities to be helpful, prepared, and kind, and to act on the promptings.
I agree with your message we need to try to make “actions” the language of our message.