An Open Letter to the People of the World:
Dear Beloved Family of Earth,
This evening, my wife Christy and I lay in bed watching A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a gentle and profound film about the life and spirit of Fred Rogers. At one moment, Fred mentioned something deeply moving—he had once asked someone who was nearing death to pray for him, believing that person was close to God.
That moment stayed with me. It spoke to the mystery and beauty of our connection to the Divine—especially in the moments when we are most vulnerable, most surrendered, and perhaps most open.
After the movie, Christy and I shared a sacred conversation. I spoke to her about what I know of God—not from books or rituals, but from the deep knowing that has been placed in my heart over years of listening, loving, and living.
I believe with all my soul that much of what humanity practices—our long prayers, our pleading, our rituals—has been shaped more by human tradition than by the true nature of God. These are sincere efforts to reach Him, no doubt. But they are often built upon what we think He wants, rather than what He has truly asked.
In the Ten Commandments, we read: "I am a jealous God." Yet let us not confuse this with human jealousy. God’s "jealousy" is the fierce love of a Creator who longs for us to walk fully in the truth of who we are, and in union with Him. He is not small. He is All. Omnipotent. Omniscient. Omnipresent. He knows us utterly. Before a word leaves our tongue, before a thought forms in our mind, He already knows our needs, our hopes, our pain, and our purpose.
His plan has never been to withhold from us, nor to test us endlessly. His plan has always been to give us everything—to pour out blessing upon blessing, to walk with us, to restore us, to renew us, and ultimately, to dwell within us. Not through fear. But through Love.
And what does He ask in return?
Not grand speeches. Not perfection. Not religious performance.
He asks this: That we be our best in every moment. That we Love.
If we can love—in the quiet moments and in the chaos, in the joy and in the struggle—then we glorify Him. If we give our best—whatever that looks like in the season we're in—we draw nearer to His heart. And in doing so, we light the way for others to find Him too.
This is not the love the world often speaks of, fickle or self-seeking. It is the love that lays down its life for another. The love that forgives seventy times seven. The love that sees the divine spark in every person, no matter their wounds, their past, or their beliefs.
Dear friends, I share this not as someone with all the answers, but as someone who is listening—deeply. Who has seen too much grace to remain silent. Who has watched God show up, again and again, not in thunder or fire, but in stillness. In kindness. In love shared between strangers. In the beauty of a day, a life, a second chance.
Let us not complicate God. He is not far away. He is not waiting to punish or to prove. He is already here. Inside us. Beside us. Calling us back to the simplest and most powerful truth: Love is who He is. And Love is what we’re here for.
So let us live that way. Let us be our best. Let us love, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. And in doing so, we will be the living proof of His glory. The echo of His presence. The reflection of His image.
With all my heart,
Ross Harvey
A child of God, a lover of truth, and a witness to His endless grace
Montreal, Canada
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