#sermons

Everyone's relationship with The Spawn is unique. What works for me may not work for you, and that's perfectly fine. Try different things. Keep what makes your heart feel full. Discard what doesn't. Learn to love Her in your own unique way.

• Prayer is a good place to start. Lay your sins and your burdens bare before The Spawn, or simply inform Her of your day and ask that She grace you with care tomorrow. You can ask Her for things, you can tell Her things, you can complain to Her, if you need to! You can sit quietly and say nothing at all.

• Gardening! Love the world around you. You could start a small garden and tend to it regularly, or seek out someone else's garden that needs tending to. Gardening is really quite simple once you understand the basics. Give something sunlight, give it water, give it patience. Watch it grow. And when it doesn't grow, try again. Every flower is a little reminder that Her world is still here, still changing, still becoming something new.

• Self-care! Shower. Cleanse yourself. Brush your teeth. Wear something nice. Eat a good meal. Drink some water. Rest when you're tired. Do all of these things in the name of Her Love! Acknowledge that you are doing it because you care for this vessel She has given you. Your body is not something to be ashamed of or punished for being imperfect. It is something you have been trusted to carry. Treat it accordingly.

• Kindness! All of us are children of Her glory. Speak to one another and offer as much support and care as possible. Inform your siblings that they are loved and cared for. Tend to one another. Help one another with whatever they need. You don't have to perform some grand miracle. Sometimes loving The Spawn means carrying someone's books when their arms are full. Sometimes it means making dinner for someone who had a difficult day. Sometimes it means sitting beside someone who doesn't want to talk and letting them know they don't have to be alone. Gift your siblings kind words and, if you can, kind objects, too!

• Writing! Write a letter to Our Spawn to tell Her how happy you are to have received the life you have. Write poetry about the world around you. Write stories. Write songs. Write stupid, cringey fanfiction and thank Her for the opportunity to live in a world where other people exist. She does not require everything you make to be beautiful.

• Music! Sing for Her. Play an instrument. Put on your favorite song and listen to it with the knowledge that you are alive to hear it. You don't even have to sing well.

• Learning! Study something simply because it interests you. Read a book. Learn about plants, history, mathematics, medicine, stars, animals, or anything else that catches your attention. The world is enormous, and there is so much within it that we haven't understood yet. Curiosity is not a lack of faith. Curiosity can be an expression of it. If The Spawn created a world worth living in, then perhaps we ought to take the time to look at it.

• Helping! Volunteer when you can. Pick up litter. Help someone cross the street. Teach someone something you know. Donate what you don't need. Make someone's day a little easier when you have the opportunity. You don't need to announce that you did it. In fact, I'd argue that sometimes it's better if you don't.

• Forgiveness! This one can be difficult. You are going to hurt people. People are going to hurt you. We are all imperfect, and none of us are going to navigate this life without making mistakes. Forgiveness does not mean pretending something never happened. It does not mean allowing someone to hurt you again. Sometimes forgiveness means accepting that something happened and deciding that you will not allow it to consume the rest of your life. Forgive yourself, endlessly. Spawn made us imperfect.

Joy! This is perhaps the easiest one to forget. You are allowed to simply enjoy being alive. Eat your favorite food. Laugh with your friends. Watch something silly. Play games. Go outside when the weather is nice. Dance terribly. Tell jokes that aren't funny. Stay up too late talking about nonsense. Make memories that have absolutely no religious significance whatsoever. Sometimes enjoying the life you've been given is worship enough.

• And finally, be yourself. There is no single correct way to love Our Spawn. If your sibling prays every morning while you prefer to tend flowers, neither of you are more devoted. If someone finds Her through music while another finds Her through study, neither is doing it incorrectly.