James J. Lachard (1923-2002) was the pen name for John James Brown, an English writer who was born in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. He served in the military during World War II, worked as an editor, and then at a greeting card company before joining World Vision in the 1960’s. Writing had started as a hobby, but Lachard soon became an accomplished, published writer of short stories including Beauty for Ashes, A Handful of God, Treasure in the Sand, Flowers for the Living, and A Message from the Trees. An Interview With God was submitted to publishers along with several of his other short stories, but it had never been published.
In 2001, An Interview With God somehow found its way onto the internet as a poem and was forwarded to Lanchard who replied, “that sounds so much like my story, I can’t believe it’s a coincidence.” At the same time, a powerfully evocative film based on the poem was also being widely-circulated online. Because Lachard was in poor health and didn’t have the strength to pursue why or how the story was leaked from the publishers, he simply surrendered and said, “If God can use it, then so be it.”
The poem/video went on to become an internet sensation that continues to inspire. Below is the ORIGINAL version of the story as submitted to the publisher. VIEW THE VIDEO | Read more
“If you have the time,” I said.
God smiled. “My time is eternity. That’s enough time to do everything. What questions do you have in mind?”
“What surprises you most about mankind?”
“Many things.
“That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.
“That they lose their health to make money, and then lose their money to restore health.
“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, and live neither for the present nor for the
future. That they live as if they will never die, and die as
if they had never lived.”
God took my hands in his.
We were silent for a while, then I asked, “As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want for your children to learn?”
God replied with a smile.
“To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. They
can only let themselves be loved.
“To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits,
not as a group on a comparison basis.
“To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.
“To learn that it takes only a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons they love and many years to
heal them.
“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.
“To learn there are persons who love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.
“To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.
“To understand that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally differently.
“To appreciate that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them, and likes them anyway.
‘To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves.”
I sat there for a while enjoying the moment. I thanked God for His time and for all that He has done for me and my family.
Then God replied, “Anytime. I’m here twenty-four hours a day. All you have to do is ask, and I will answer. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”