At times we stumble through life not able to see clearly, while sensing life shouldn’t be this hard to figure out. However, we can’t quite commit to finding our way out of the fog! If we want to come closer to God then we need to remove the barriers that are in the way.
The power of give and take
The Divine Principle informs us that all things develop through give and take. This remarkable principle is the bedrock of all existence, action and multiplication. If it weren’t for the power generated by give and take action there would be no life. Scary thought!
For example: an atom comes to exist through the give and take action between a proton and an electron. Similarly, a molecule comes into being through the give and take action between a positive ion and a negative ion which causes a chemical reaction.
Electricity is produced through the give and take action between positive electrical charges and negative electrical charges, which causes electrical action. There is nothing more dramatic than watching an electrical storm in full force.
All plants multiply through the give and take action between the stamen and pistil. Animals maintain their existence and multiply through the give and take between male and female.
Between the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom, co-existence is made possible through give and take action. Plants give oxygen to animals and animals return carbon dioxide to plants. Flowers offer nectar to bees and bees pollinate flowers.
When we study the heavenly bodies, we find that the solar system exists through the give and take action between the sun and the planets. The earth and moon are also able to maintain their orbital movements through give and take action. Remarkably this macrocosm reflects the microcosm within the atom.
The human body maintains its life through the give and take action between arteries and veins, inhalation and exhalation, and sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. An individual is able to achieve his purpose of existence through the give and take action between mind and body. That is a very real relationship. A just released study reveals that people with a strong purpose outlive peers who are aimless. The mind is a powerful thing and impacts our physical bodies in remarkable ways. Give and take action governs all relationships within man and all relationships among men.
Why don’t we believe?
When it comes to physical laws we are all believers. We believe in the law of gravity and consequently aren’t eager to step off a cliff. But when it comes to spiritual laws we aren’t so certain. Perhaps the most powerful way to prove the reality of give and take action is to stop having give and take! The lack of give and take has the power to destroy relationships, deprive you oxygen, or leave the world barren.
Nevertheless, while we may recognize this principle we fail to apply it in our relationship with God. If we truly believed in give and take would we fail to pray for days, weeks or even years at a time?
We struggle to connect with God, often giving up along the way and conveniently “prove” to ourselves that God doesn’t exist. But is that fair? It’s not fair to God and it’s not fair to you.
In a message titled, “Faith and Reality” Rev. Moon* tackled this subject head on.
“Perhaps some of you are thinking, “Why struggle to believe in God? If He exists, He will come down and make a connection with me.” If God could do this, we would already be one with Him. That would be fine. But as fallen people, we have no automatic relationship with God. Still, God is the Subject and we are created to be His good objects, though we are not yet in that association yet. Subject and object should have some kind of close interaction. We don’t have it between ourselves and God. Nevertheless, under these circumstances you cannot say, “Why believe in God?
Let’s think about this – what would be the minimum standard of relationship? We have at least a minimum standard of relationship we must endeavor to reach on our part. Let us take an analogy: In some university a certain professor may be knowledgeable in a particular subject area. But in order to have the opportunity to learn from him, you need to conform to an objective standard; you first must register for his course. Otherwise, the professor and the student have no connection and would not be able to relate to each other at all. Their relationship is not automatic.”
The collision point between changeability and unchangeability
“Between the Subject and you – people separated from God, the object – if God decides something, because He is an absolute God, what He decides is eternal and unchanging. He sets the standard. Can you meet His standard if you change your mind a hundred times a day? And another example: You come here and become very inspired when you hear our message, but when you go back into the reality of the world, you will have doubts. How long will this inspiration last? God is eternal. He never alters His course in the middle. Even if you make a determined effort, how long will you continue: a month, a year, several years, ten years? Your determination changes. Sometimes you say to yourself, “If I like it, then I will go and do it. If not, then I will not do it.” Truth is truth whether you live or die; it is eternal. Truth is beyond death, beyond changeability. In order to be a true person you have to be beyond death. You must have the quality of steadfastness. This means there will be a collision at some point between your changeability and un-changeability.”
Life gives us opportunities to stay true to ourselves and what we believe. However, we have to take advantage of them.
Engaging in radical transformation
“Unfortunately, when we live in this world, we like to remain as we are. Also, we don’t want to die, or we don’t want to be defeated in the reality of this world. The secret to overcome this situation, to find the eternal truth, is to overcome death and come to life, to overcome changeability and become unchangeable. Only in this way can you reach the truth. But this world itself wants to remain like it is and does not want to die. This is simply because evil forces dominate this world.”
This principle is also seen in the words of Jesus who cautioned his followers to think about their priorities.
“Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”
Matthew 16:25, The Message
That may seem like a tough challenge. But to gain something of value requires an investment. God is going after the gold standard when it comes to his sons and daughters.
Making the grade
“So because God’s essence is this absolute standard, to be His child we have to copy that pattern, meet that standard. We have to ask ourselves if we qualify to meet His criteria. In order to find whether or not you are qualified, you must be tested through suffering and hardship. You may sometimes think a certain test is too hard for you, but when you look at it in a different way, this is the means through which God will give you the chance to prove your value. And when you pass the test with a perfect score that means the Teacher has given you a chance to promote yourself. Usually a teacher asks those questions which he thinks the students do not know. Why ask them what they already know? Usually test questions any professor gives are designed to bring out the most qualified person; to do that he picks the toughest questions. When you have passed the test and are at the top, then you and the professor immediately have a certain relationship. The professor values you especially because you have made it through the test, and he can bequeath all his legacy of knowledge and work to you. If after many years, he finds only one person who can pass the test, then naturally that person would become the heir of this professor.”
An inviolable relationship
“God is doing the same thing with us. He would not want us just to be businessmen or salesmen. He is not interested in that. He wants to find His loving children, to make you His true sons and daughters. When this relationship is really established, it is inviolable. Nothing can invade that. God feels so sorrowful that this oneness of love was lost by the fall. He has been working through the Restoration Providence to find people on earth who understand this.
Even though we are separated from God, our Heavenly Parent doesn’t leave us alone. He is always trying to egg us on or stimulate us into relationship with Him. He uses our conscience to rouse us into awareness of His presence and the possibility of a life of truth.
No matter how evil someone is, buried deep in his or her original mind is a tiny seed from God. That person has the power of conscience remaining in his inmost self. This conscience is always at work, influencing him or her to seek truth, beauty and goodness. It’s so powerful it can stop someone in their tracks and cause them to feel conscience stricken at the moment of committing evil.”
I had a friend who was followed home one night and accosted by an intruder. She was a very attractive young woman and the man who invaded her home intended to assault her. Realizing the inevitable, she stopped struggling and pleaded with her attacker, “My parents’ picture is over there. I can’t bear for them to witness this. Please, at least, turn the picture away.” The attacker got up and left the house without touching her. This young woman’s sincerity struck like a lightning bolt in his heart.
At some deep level we all know what is right and wrong. Not everyone’s conscience is so available. Nevertheless, if there were no conscience left in humanity, God’s providence of restoration would be impossible.
Our conscience can operate, despite our selfishness, because it’s in a give and take relationship with God. God is the subject of the conscience and is always trying to stimulate us through it.
Humanity became separated from God but fortunately our conscience is buried deep within us. But the real question is how can we get closer to God? Are we stuck like this forever, waiting to have our conscience pricked just so we can do the right thing?
Finding a teacher
Connecting to a spiritual teacher is like having a short cut to heaven. There are many names that express respect and reverence: teacher, leader, or mentor. However, the closest guiding relationship is that of a parent. This is why Rev. Moon always stressed our need to have True Parents. We need True Parents to inherit the true love of God and teach us to become true parents ourselves: loving others, raising blessed families, and building the world that God intended.
We need a true religion through which we can restore the vertical give and take circuit with God which stimulates us to love and sacrifice. The teachings and deeds of Jesus and True Parents are for this purpose. Jesus taught that you can’t pretend to love God and then ignore your neighbor. He told us to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Always looking for God’s point of view
To grow our hearts we need to create a consciousness within ourselves to see the world through God’s eyes, or more precisely his heart. Learning to focus in this way creates a discipline that over time shapes the heart. Everyday becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth.
“When you walk along the street, why don’t you take God’s point of view? You have to notice the evil things you would want to change, and then the good things you will multiply for your nation and for mankind. When you look at things this way, through God’s eyes, you will be always growing When you look at the weakness of the political situation, when you look at the changing elements from God’s position, you should think, “I am going to reform this and that.” If nobody else does it, think in your own mind, “I will do it.” When you maintain this kind of disposition, automatically angels and saints will come to you and help you even if you never ask for help from God. Wherever you go, you do not have to worry. You are perfectly all right even in the most dangerous of situations. With this confidence you can overcome any difficulties. Then God will reveal to you in many ways what is going to take place in the world, through dreams or visions or inspiration. This will be very comforting to you in this world of change.”
*All of the above quotes except where marked otherwise are from the speech “Faith and Reality” by Sun Myung Moon
Closing the gap between faith and reality
If we want to really transform the world then we have to invest in a different way of being and seeing the world. In the past, ideological systems ended up with only ideals. Our belief system should bear fruit in actual reality. We have to have pride in that, because we have something tangible in our faith; a reality far above our past conceptions and any previous life of faith. It’s up to us to close the gap and discover real faith!
