RESTORE
This chapter from the BFG Handbook (Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching) presents the gospel through a new "Expression" of God’s Love to RESTORE the Truth.
Chapter 40 from the BFG Handbook (Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching) presents the gospel through a new “Expression” of God’s Love to RESTORE people to the Truth.
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Chapter 40: Cycle of Life
The movement of God is returning 1
The Way of God is yielding 2
All things of the world are born of being 3
Being arises from non-being 4
Coming Home to the Father
“The movement of God is returning”
Chapter 40 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching invites reflection on the cyclical nature of life and its divine origin. The movement of God is described as a returning, echoing the biblical understanding that everything comes from God and will ultimately return to Him (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20). This truth highlights the transient nature of earthly life and the eternal nature of God’s purposes. Returning to God signifies repentance and reconciliation, reminding believers of the call to align their lives with His will, much like the prodigal son’s return to his father (Luke 15:11-32). It is through this turning back that we find restoration and life in Him.
The chapter’s footnote points to Ecclesiastes, which speaks plainly: people and animals alike come from dust and go back to dust. At first that sounds bleak. But later the same book finishes the thought, and it changes everything. Our bodies return to the earth, but the spirit returns to the God who gave it.
“and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
Ecclesiastes 12:7ESV
So “returning” has two sides. There is the return no one can avoid, at the end of earthly life. And there is the return we can choose today, turning our hearts back to God while there is still time. The Bible calls this conversion, and it is never only our own effort. God moves first. He calls, He waits, and He runs to meet us.
“and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”
Joel 2:13ESV
That is why the chapter speaks of a movement and not a single moment. We drift, and we come back. We fall, and He lifts us up. Each return, whether in a quiet prayer or in the sacrament of Confession, brings us a little closer to the final homecoming God has prepared for us.
“Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil…”Catechism 1431
“In the parables devoted to mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy.”Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 9
“That aspect of death lends urgency to our lives: remembering our mortality helps us realize that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfillment…”Catechism 1007
You meant to pray every day this year. Then life got busy, and now it has been months. Maybe you have not been to Mass since a funeral, or since you moved. Going back feels awkward, like showing up again in a group chat you left. Chapter 40 says, “The movement of God is returning.” He is not counting how long you were gone. Like the father in the parable, He is watching the road. One step toward Him is enough to begin.
Try this today: Pick one way back to God today, a short prayer, a Mass time or a time for Confession, and take that first step.
The Gentle Strength of God
“The Way of God is yielding”
The Way of God is yielding, reflecting His gentle yet sovereign approach to guiding creation. This principle is seen throughout Scripture, as God’s patience and mercy lead sinners to repentance (Jonah 3:9-10). Yielding does not mean weakness but rather an intentional humility that allows God’s power to work through us. Believers are called to embody this characteristic, delighting in the Lord and trusting Him to direct their paths (Psalm 37:4-7). Yielding to God means surrendering control and trusting His plan, which often requires us to relinquish our own desires for His greater purpose.
The chapter’s Scripture also takes us to Mount Sinai. While Moses was on the mountain receiving God’s law, the people grew impatient, made a golden calf and worshiped it. God’s anger was just, and the people had broken the covenant they had just made. Yet Moses pleaded for them, and Scripture says something surprising.
“And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.”
Exodus 32:14ESV
God does not change His mind the way we do. The Bible uses human words to show us His heart. His deepest will was always mercy, and He chose to make room for a prayer of intercession and for a people who would turn back. This is the yielding of God: a love strong enough to step back so that we can step forward.
We see that Way most fully in Jesus. He did not come with armies but as a servant, and in the garden He prayed, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The Psalm in this chapter’s footnote invites us into the same quiet trust.
“Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.”
Psalm 37:7NRSVue
“After Israel’s sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses’ prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love.”Catechism 210
“God is the Father Almighty, whose fatherhood and power shed light on one another… by his infinite mercy, for he displays his power at its height by freely forgiving sins.”Catechism 270
“Our Father ‘desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ He ‘is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish.’”Catechism 2822
You have a plan for how this week should go, and someone keeps messing it up. A coworker moves the deadline. The kids will not cooperate. Your spouse sees it differently. The urge is to push harder, raise your voice and win the argument. Chapter 40 says, “The Way of God is yielding.” God, who has all power, shows it most by making room for us. Yielding does not mean you have no voice. It means you stop forcing, you listen, and you trust God with what you cannot control.
Try this today: In one conversation today, let the other person finish completely before you answer, and ask God to help you really hear them.
Every Breath Is a Gift
“All things of the world are born of being”
The idea that all things are born of being and being arises from non-being reflects the biblical account of creation. God brought everything into existence from nothing (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:15-16). Humanity itself was formed from the dust of the earth, brought to life by the breath of God (Genesis 2:7). This demonstrates not only God’s omnipotence but also His intimate involvement in creation. The relationship between being and non-being reminds us that all life originates from God’s creative Word and depends on Him for its sustenance.
God’s own name helps us understand this line. When Moses asked who was sending him, God answered, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). God does not receive His being from anyone. He simply is. Everything else is “born of being”: it exists because He shares His being with it, and it keeps existing only because He holds it.
“For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’…”
Acts 17:28NRSVue
The chapter’s footnote shows how wide this gift reaches. In Genesis, God provides food not only for people but for every beast and bird, for “everything that has the breath of life in it” (Genesis 1:30). The sparrow, the dog on the couch, the tree outside the window: all of it comes from the same Giver, and all of it is cared for by Him.
So reverence is the right response to the world. Human beings hold a special place, made in God’s image and called to share His life forever. But that dignity comes with a duty. We are not the owners of creation. We are guests and caretakers in a house that belongs to God.
“The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it”
Psalm 24:1NRSVue
“We believe that it proceeds from God’s free will; he wanted to make his creatures share in his being, wisdom and goodness…”Catechism 295
“Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.”Catechism 2416
“Every creature is thus the object of the Father’s tenderness, who gives it its place in the world. Even the fleeting life of the least of beings is the object of his love…”Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ 77
Think about how much of your day runs on things you did not make. Your heart kept beating all night without being asked. The coffee beans grew on a hillside you will never see. The friend who texted you was born long before you met. It is easy to feel self-made, especially when everyone online is selling their hustle. Chapter 40 says, “All things of the world are born of being.” Everything is received. When we see that, gratitude replaces pride, and we treat people, animals and the earth with gentler hands.
Try this today: Before each meal today, name one thing on your plate and thank God for the life that went into it.
Something Out of Nothing
“Being arises from non-being”
The last line goes deeper still. Before anything existed, there was nothing at all: no stars, no oceans, no time, only God in the perfect love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The chapter’s final footnote names the One through whom that nothing became everything.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.”
Colossians 1:15-16NRSVue
Notice the pattern. The invisible God is made visible in Jesus, and the unseen gives rise to the seen. God did not need any material to work with. He spoke, and what was not began to be. Nothing forced Him to create. He did it freely, out of love.
That same power is still at work in our lives. St. Paul says Abraham trusted the God who brings life where there was none. Sarah’s empty arms, Israel’s exile, the sealed tomb of Jesus: again and again, God makes something out of nothing. Our empty seasons are not beyond His reach.
“…in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
Romans 4:17ESV
“Scripture bears witness to faith in creation ‘out of nothing’ as a truth full of promise and hope.”Catechism 297
“God, who through the Word creates all things (see John 1:3) and keeps them in existence, gives men an enduring witness to Himself in created realities…”Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum 3
Creation from nothing is not only a teaching about the past. The Church calls it a truth full of hope: the God who made the world from nothing can also make us new.
Maybe the relationship ended, the job was cut, or the diagnosis took the future you had planned. You look at your life and it feels like a blank page, or worse, an empty room. Chapter 40 says, “Being arises from non-being.” God has always done His greatest work with nothing. He made the stars from nothing, and He raised His Son from a sealed tomb. He is not finished with you. Your empty place may be exactly where He is about to begin something new.
Try this today: Write down one area of your life that feels empty, and pray over it: “Lord, You make things out of nothing. Begin here.”
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
In a Christian perspective, this chapter emphasizes the dependence of all creation on God and the humility required to acknowledge Him as the source of life and purpose. By embracing the cyclical movement of returning to God, yielding to His will, and recognizing our origins in Him, believers align themselves with the divine order. This alignment brings peace, fulfillment, and a deeper understanding of the eternal cycle of life under God’s sovereignty.
For a Christian, the cycle of life is not a wheel that spins forever and goes nowhere. It is a road that leads home. We come from God, we live by His gift, and we are invited to return to Him forever. St. Paul gathers it all into one line.
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.”
Romans 11:36NRSVue
So we live the chapter one day at a time. In the morning we receive our breath as a gift, because “All things of the world are born of being.” During the day we yield, letting God lead instead of forcing our way. At night we return, telling Him where we wandered and resting in His mercy. And when life feels empty, we remember that “Being arises from non-being.”
“There is a solidarity among all creatures arising from the fact that all have the same Creator and are all ordered to his glory…”Catechism 344
“By prayer we can discern ‘what is the will of God’ and obtain the endurance to do it.”Catechism 2826
Your days probably have a rhythm already: alarm, coffee, commute, work, dinner, screens, sleep, repeat. It can start to feel like a hamster wheel. Chapter 40 does not ask you to escape your routine. It asks you to fill it with God. Thank Him when you wake up. Give way once during the day when you would rather push. Before bed, look back and come home to Him. Same days, same people, but now each one moves toward the God who made you and is waiting for you.
Try this today: Tonight, before you sleep, look back on your day, tell God one place you drifted, and thank Him for bringing you home.
RENEWAL
The Trinitarian M.A.P. is the method for RENEWAL, where God’s Love shapes our MINDSET, Trust in the Son directs our AIM, and Faith in the Holy Spirit guides our PRACTICE.
This chapter offers a new “Method” for the New Evangelization to RENEW our hearts and minds through the Trinitarian M.A.P. Bring this chapter into your day with the BFG Companion App. Pick Chapter 40 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts in the mind. Chapter 40 opens with “The movement of God is returning.” Many of us picture God as far away, waiting for us to get our act together first. But the chapter shows a God who is always moving, and His movement is a homecoming. The father in Jesus’ parable saw his son “while he was still a long way off” and ran to him (Luke 15:20). So we begin by changing the picture in our heads: God is not tapping His foot. He is already on the road, coming to meet us.
Then the chapter says, “All things of the world are born of being.” Nothing in your life started with you: not your breath, not your talents, not the people you love. Genesis says God formed us from dust and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). A mind shaped by God’s love stops treating life as something we must earn or grip by force. It is a gift, received fresh every moment from the One who is. That truth humbles us, and it also sets us free.
Try this: Tomorrow morning, before you reach for your phone, take one slow breath and pray, “Thank You, Father, for this breath.”
Luke 15:20NRSVue “So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.”
Genesis 2:7NRSVue “then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
More Scripture: Malachi 3:7 · Lamentations 3:22-23
A renewed mind needs a direction, and Chapter 40 points it with “The Way of God is yielding.” We see that Way most clearly in Jesus. He said, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and in the garden He prayed, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The Son did not grab or push. He yielded to the Father, all the way to the Cross, and the Father raised Him. So we aim our lives at Him. Before we push harder for what we want, we look to Jesus and ask what yielding would look like here.
The chapter also says, “Being arises from non-being.” St. Paul tells us the Son “is the image of the invisible God” and that “in him all things were created” (Colossians 1:15-16). The One who made everything out of nothing is the One we follow. That changes how we face the empty places: the job that ended, the plan that fell apart, the prayer that seems unanswered. We do not aim at what we can see and control. We aim at Christ, who can call something new out of what looks like nothing.
Try this: Pick one situation you keep trying to force, and pray Jesus’ words over it today: “Not my will, but yours be done.”
Luke 22:42NRSVue “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.”
Colossians 1:16NRSVue “for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.”
More Scripture: Matthew 11:29 · Hebrews 11:3
Renewal becomes real in daily life. Chapter 40’s Scripture tells how God “relented” when the people of Nineveh turned from their evil ways (Jonah 3:10). God made room for them to change, and the Holy Spirit makes the same room in us. So we practice turning back, not once but every day: a quick apology at home, a text that says “I was wrong,” a trip to Confession after too long away. Each small return lines us up again with “The movement of God is returning,” and the Spirit gives us the courage to take the step.
The chapter’s Scripture also says, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). That is hard in a world of instant replies and next-day delivery. The Spirit teaches us to yield in practice: to listen before we answer, to let someone else go first, to wait for God’s timing instead of forcing our own. And because “All things of the world are born of being,” we treat people, animals and the earth itself as gifts on loan from God, with care and respect.
Try this: Today, when you feel the urge to fire back a quick reply, wait. Pray “Come, Holy Spirit” first, then answer.
Jonah 3:10NRSVue “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them…”
Psalm 37:7NRSVue “Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.”
More Scripture: James 4:10 · 2 Corinthians 5:18
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Remember that every breath comes from God, keep your eyes on the Son who yielded and was raised, and let the Spirit turn you home again each day, trusting the God who makes something out of nothing.
RESPOND
Renewal brings the transformation of our spirit with ardor, empowering us to RESPOND to the call of holiness and make disciples of all nations. This encourages meaningful dialogue to embrace shared truths that transcend cultural and religious boundaries.
Renewal does not end with us. When God changes a heart, He sends it out. Chapter 40 says, “The movement of God is returning,” and we have felt that movement: He came looking for us and brought us home. Now we become part of it, going out to the ones still far away, the way the father ran to meet his son. We do not go to drag anyone back; we go the way God goes, gently, yielding, and full of hope.
In 1983, Saint John Paul II called the Church to an evangelization that is “new in its ardor, new in its methods, new in its expression.” The Gospel never changes. The way we carry it must be alive for our time. Chapter 40 shows why: many people feel they have drifted too far to come back, and they need fresh words that tell them God is already running to meet them.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 40 says, “The movement of God is returning.” The fire grows every time we let Him bring us home again, and it spreads when we invite others home too.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 40 says, “The Way of God is yielding,” so share your faith in a way that listens first, never pushes, and leaves the other person free to answer.
Meet people where they are: on the phone in their hand. The BFG Handbook and the BFG Companion turn one conversation into a path to Christ and His Church. Chapter 40 says, “Being arises from non-being.” Our tools do not create faith; only God does that. They simply make space where He can bring something new to life.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 40 says, “The Way of God is yielding,” so share your faith in a way that listens first, never pushes, and leaves the other person free to answer.
What my life was like before I really met Jesus.
How He met me, and the moment things began to change.
What is different now, and the hope I carry. When did you, like the prodigal son, finally turn around and find God already waiting for you?
Meet people where they are: on the phone in their hand. The BFG Handbook and the BFG Companion turn one conversation into a path to Christ and His Church. Chapter 40 says, “Being arises from non-being.” Our tools do not create faith; only God does that. They simply make space where He can bring something new to life.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 40, Cycle of Life, helps anyone who feels too far gone to come back, anyone tired of forcing life to go their way, and anyone facing an empty season.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 40 when someone feels they have drifted from God, is struggling to let go of control, or is facing a loss that leaves them feeling empty). In seconds: a reflection, the M.A.P., a saint, a prayer, Scripture, a song and a church nearby. Send it by email, PDF or a share link.
Hard question? Ask it together. Answers are grounded in Catholic teaching, the saints and the BFG Handbook. Talk or type. Try asking together: “If I have been away from God for a long time, how do I come back?”
Pray the Rosary with a guided voice, the daily mysteries and beads that follow along. Pray it with someone, even over the phone. In the Mysteries of the Rosary we walk with Jesus through His birth, His death and His rising, the true cycle of life that Chapter 40 points to, and each bead is a small return to Him.
Catholic churches near anyone, with Mass and Confession times, directions, and one tap to add a time to the calendar. Every conversation can end at a church door. Confession is where “The movement of God is returning” becomes real: you walk in carrying what pulled you away, and you walk out home again.
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. Morning, midday and evening, each reminder is a small homecoming, because “The movement of God is returning.”
Free to start, no card needed. Read aloud in 48 languages.
One tool that walks with a person from the first question to the church door.
Jesus sent His apostles first to Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Start where you are. Chapter 40 says, “All things of the world are born of being,” so every person around you was given life by the same God and is already wanted by Him.
- Pray the Rosary together on Pray My Rosary.
- Bless your children at bedtime.
- Share a Guidance with a spouse or child who is struggling.
- Find Sunday Mass times together with Church Finder.
- Read Chapter 40 at dinner and ask: “Where did we need to come back to each other today?”
- Text a verse from your Guidance.
- Ask, “How can I pray for you?” and pray right then.
- Invite a friend to Mass, then go for coffee.
- Send a friend who has drifted the line “The movement of God is returning,” with a note that the door is always open.
- Be the calm, kind one.
- Pray on your lunch break with a reminder.
- Start a small chapter group that meets once a week. Begin with Chapter 40, Cycle of Life.
- Respect the rules: invite, never push.
- Listen for the moment: “Things have been hard.”
- Offer: “Can I send you something that helped me?”
- Share the Chapter 40 song.
- Ask good questions and really listen.
- Share your three-part story.
- Open Ask BFG together when a question comes up.
- When a friend feels their life has fallen to nothing, share “Being arises from non-being” and remind them that God still makes new things.
- Visit the sick, the elderly and the lonely; pray the Rosary with them.
- Serve at a food bank.
- Welcome newcomers at Mass.
- Join your parish evangelization team.
- Ask shops, cafés and offices to display a BFG card with a QR code.
- Offer a short lunch talk on faith at work.
- Business owners: offer the Companion to staff as a free gift, never a requirement.
- Go where people already gather, and be the friendly one who listens.
- Pray quietly for the people around you.
- When a talk turns real, share a Guidance or the chapter song.
- Wear or carry a simple sign of your faith, like a cross or a rosary, that can start a conversation.
- On a walk in the park, point to the falling leaves and the new buds, and share that Chapter 40 says “All things of the world are born of being,” every one of them from God.
- Host a Chapter 40 “Cycle of Life” night, a Handbook chapter night, a Rosary night or an “Ask Anything” faith night.
- Show the Companion on a big screen and let people try it.
- We did this at our free conference, The New Evangelization in the Age of AI, at Christ Cathedral.
- Share a Guidance, a chapter song or a Scripture card. Try: “The movement of God is returning”
- One post can reach someone you will never meet.
- Join a parish or diocese mission trip.
- The Companion speaks 48 languages, so you leave behind something that keeps speaking after you go home.
- Chapter 40’s images of dust, breath and coming home are understood in every culture, a natural bridge to the Father who runs to meet His children.
- Your parish ministries, the Legion of Mary, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, prison, hospital and campus ministries, and mission groups.
- Bring the BFG tools to their work.
Some people will tell you they are too far gone. Some will say their life has come to nothing. Chapter 40 answers both: “The movement of God is returning,” and “Being arises from non-being.” Go gently, the way God goes. Go with hope, because He still makes new things out of nothing. The same Spirit who breathed life into the dust and renewed you now sends you, to help others find their way home.
God who gives every breath and calls us home, Holy Spirit, set my heart on fire. Jesus, send me to the one You love. Father, make me Your witness today. Amen.
NRSVue © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.