What does God, as you understand him, expect from us?
- Kris J. Simpson
- Apr 16
- 4 min read
God expects us to express truth, beauty, and love. While these words have become overused, they serve to identify ways of being that bring meaning, purpose, peace, and fulfillment to our lives. By expressing these ideals, we can become heroes — individuals admired for their courage — by participating in the adventure of life rather than hiding from it or refusing its call. A life spent avoiding this journey leads to dishonesty, a lack of recognizing beauty, and being gripped by fear, resulting in purposeless suffering. Ultimately, this can lead to a life devoid of meaning, which may foster feelings of nihilism, and depending on how deep you venture, one may describe this place as hell.
These are strong convictions, and I have struggled with them for as long as I can remember. I am not perfect, but the more I pay attention to my behavior, the quicker I can identify when I am acting contrary to what God expects of me. My conscience is very clear in that regard.
To tell the truth, as we understand it at any given moment, and to the best of our ability, is critical — even when it might be easier to stay silent, go along with the crowd, or omit details to avoid answering questions about what happened, or didn’t happen, thus avoiding potential conflicts with others. I have found myself in these positions quite often. However, expressing the truth externally is, in my opinion, less significant than confronting the truth within ourselves. The damage that can occur when you deny a truth that has arisen in your consciousness can be far more harmful than any external lie you might tell for self-protection or personal gain. For instance, consider someone in a relationship where they know they are being deceived. If that person avoids investigating the situation, thus denying the truth, and the truth eventually comes to light publicly, they will not only experience the pain of betrayal but also the deeper shame associated with it, especially since it is now known by others.
Now moving onto beauty; what a fascinating concept, typically experienced through our senses and then felt internally. We encounter beauty in various forms, such as a captivating painting, a soothing melody in a song, the wonders of nature, or even the physical appearance of another person. Sometimes, the beauty of the soul can be even more profound. The power of beauty can be so overwhelming that it may cause us to look away. Additionally, I believe that we co-create beauty with God, a power greater than oneself. If we define beauty as “the best of something,” then our acts of creation — whether it’s writing a heartfelt letter to a loved one, redecorating our home, or expressing ourselves through art or music — can all be seen as manifestations of beauty. These creative endeavors reflect our desire to express the best in something.
And then there is love — specifically, care for others — but we often overlook the essential aspect of caring for ourselves. We need to treat ourselves with the same compassion that we would extend to someone we love. As obligate social beings, we are naturally inclined to care for others, so shifting our focus to self-care requires some reprogramming and a restructuring of our values. There is a wealth of literature and advocates promoting self-love and self-help therapy, yet it remains largely overlooked. A well-known analogy is the emergency instructions given on an airplane, where flight attendants advise you to put on your own air mask before assisting your children. While this may seem paradoxical at first, the message is incredibly clear: you must help yourself before you can effectively help others. This concept shouldn’t seem counterintuitive; in fact, it aligns with common sense. However, our nature often directs our energy outward, leading us to seek validation from others and striving to appear virtuous instead of self-serving.
Yet, it is precisely through self-care that we are empowered to serve those around us. I believe few would dispute this idea, but I can also assume — based on my own experiences, knowing I am not all that different from many others — that we often neglect our own well-being. We should treat ourselves as we would treat a loved one: encouraging our potential, praising our achievements, allowing our minds to rest when necessary, and caring for our bodies through exercise and proper nutrition. My first awareness of the widespread lack of self-care came from my experience in the health and fitness industry, where I spent almost three decades. It quickly became evident that many people neglect their health and needed help with self-care.
Truth, love, and beauty are interchangeable. Divine truth, as expressed in literary works, can be described as beautiful. If you truly love someone, it goes without saying that you must be honest with them. We also see beauty in those we love — our romantic partners, our children, and our friends. Conversely, the opposites of truth, love, and beauty are also interchangeable. We often lie because we are afraid to confront the truth. We are drawn, consciously or unconsciously, to the unloveliness in others because we may not feel worthy of what is beautiful and loving. We fear our true potential, so we deny its existence. These opposites exert a stronger influence within us. This is not to say that the weaker forces of truth, beauty, and love cannot prevail; however, it does mean that it will be a long uphill battle, one that may ultimately feel unwinnable.
This brings us back to the initial question: What does God expect from us? Knowing that we have been gifted a higher level of consciousness and an understanding of truth, beauty, love, and their opposites — the more tempting forces of deceit, unloveliness, and fear — God expects the seemingly impossible from us: to avoid temptation. It is only with a power greater than ourselves that we can be delivered from that which poisons us. We are called to live a hero’s adventure that will be admired by everyone we have touched. That is what God expects.
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