The Mightiest Secret in the Universe

by Dennis Barlow

[First communicated to his youngest daughter as a senior in high school; now shared with all his children and grandchildren.]

Children, IÕm going to take a chance and tell you the mightiest secret in the universe. ItÕs a little secret that is the simplest and yet the hardest thing to possibly understand–I have been wrestling with it for many years and am only now beginning to understand it.

Why do I say IÕm taking a chance? Because, you may not be able to understand it now, but thatÕs OK. Just remember it, and every now and then think about it. It will help you I know, and some day may even allow you to be as happy as you can possibly be.

You may be wondering how something can be so easy and so hard to understand at the same time…well that is the greatest of the many ironies with which God has surrounded us. I am convinced that God has a very tricky sense of humor.

OK, here it is…the three-part secret. First, the world is not reliable. It can, and often does, delude you. No situation is so safe that it canÕt change in a twinkling. Stocks, teams, weather, fame, fortune, friends, health, - everything can come to nothing in a moment. But we often delude ourselves and try to convince our egos that it will always work the way we want it to; that we only have to await our turn or play the game, only to be frustrated. And the more we depend on getting what the world has to offer, the greater is the disappointment.

The second part is that the way to wisdom and understanding is to know yourself, and not to rely on the worldÕs message (which after all is based on delusion). You can learn lots of wonderful things about the world around you, but the only satisfying truth is the truth that is true in your own mind.

And finally the greatest secret of all is that you can find your strength, happiness, and truth by needing God. Something about our egos makes us rebel against needing God–as if that makes us weak or humiliating, but the truth is that it is the beginning of self-knowledge and strength.

There you have it; a simple formula for a successful and happy life which is nevertheless one of the most difficult tasks youÕll ever undertake. As you learn and grow and achieve, I hope that you will always look inside yourself for real truth and that inside you will find a deep self that will acknowledge that needing God frees you to become and enjoy so very much that will not be possible otherwise.

© 2003, Dennis Barlow, Use only with written permission.