An Interview With God had been submitted to publishers along with several other short stories, but it was never published. In 2001, the story 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
“So you would like to interview me?”
“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 your to children 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 this 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’ll answer. People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did. But people will never forget
how you made them feel.”