Do we recognize our Heavenly Father’s loving guidance? (17-18)

In this series I am pointing out how our Heavenly Father has been working lovingly in the hearts of His children to guide them to overcome their personal problems by expanding their consciousness based on the input by fellow Unificationists who offered their insights.

One prominent example is the reflection about forgiveness and loving one’s enemy that was offered on February 27, 2011 with the reference title: “Forgiveness – A letter to Christians.” From God’s point of view it was addressed to Moonies, to the Unificationists who had gathered in the iUnificationist Meeting House, in order to move them to reflect deeply about the meaning of forgiveness.

The other title of this valuable article is: “Forgiveness: Restoring the enemy- A Key to the Kingdom Sermon” which, indeed, does contain key points to embody True Love for one’s enemy.

I will not include this reflection here as you can easily access it in the blog area of this website by going back in the blog section to the time when this inspiring article was offered. I had shared it with other members as part (17) of this series. Here I would like to continue with the content that I sent out as part (18) of this series where I wrote:

My dear brothers and sisters,

In the previous installment you could read the reflection on the theme of “forgiveness” by brother Chris Jordan. I wanted to mention his name because we speak about crossing the Jordan and entering the Promised Land. In this respect it is indeed important to practice what brother Chris pointed out in order to make sure that we practice the secret to subjugate Satan: Loving one’s enemy.

One member responded to this article: “Dear Brother Chris, Very deep and wise Word. It reminds of what the true and correct foundation of Christianity should be in the USA. Many very important pointers and makes one reflect on our love for each other. I was struck by: it is not just a loss of innocence but the loss of the family of God and so, how much do I really know of Jesus and True Parents in heart. Keep up the good works. Gods Blessing for you and family. Sincerely…“

Another subscriber commented on this article: “Dear Chris, your ability to illuminate the main points is very insightful. Truly, this way of life is true path while in restoring the world as well as living in a perfect world of CIG. Our responsibility is the same. As I read this I am reminded of the prayer of St. Francis; allow me please, for the record, to recite it here as a quick reminder. This version is the one as appears in the 12 steps for AA:

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace; that where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that where there is error, I may bring truth; that where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that where there is despair, I may bring hope; that where there are shadows, I may bring light; that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted; to understand, than to be understood; to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life. Amen.”

In this way the word of God was once again given – to practice True Love for one’s brother and sister - and 11 days later it should have born substantial fruits in the Meeting House of Unificationists as a new beginning by manifesting the spirit of forgiveness and loving one’s enemy in a situation where one person who stood up as the accuser of her brother (and other subscribers). Sadly, she had not overcome her issues and was unable to practice what she knows to be true while others joined in the spirit of accusing their brother so that in no time brother Nikolaus and sister Elise were banned from this internet community.

Our Heavenly Father has been working in many ways to encourage the members of the iUnificationist Meeting House to practice the spirit and manifest the heart which the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind embody.

For example, during the weeks prior to the decisive days before March 11, 2011 the theme of coaching was addressed in the iUnificationist community. Valuable contributions were offered like the reflection about the theme of ownership, from which I am quoting below. This topic is so important because it is essential that we ourselves become owners of Cheon Il Guk if we want to see it realized by January 13, 2013.

From Followship To Ownership: “Arguably the greatest mandate from God in this era of Cheon Il Guk is to finally realise the Kingdom Of Heaven on Earth. Suffice to say, the heavenly world is a world of true families who have realised the Three Great Blessings (Genesis 1:28).

Having said that, each of the eight points of the Family Pledge implore us to become “the owner of Cheon Il Guk” as we carry out God’s Will. This implies that without becoming an “owner” we cannot succeed in creating the heavenly world.

So what is “ownership”? Not knowing the meaning of the Korean word I run the risk of providing an unsatisfactory answer. Nevertheless from the English language viewpoint, ownership is a blend of

responsibility, accountability and initiative. It means becoming a person whose words and deeds form a straight line, a person of integrity and a person you can depend upon. Adding the context of CIG, and you have a person who fulfills the Three Blessings.

But how does one become an owner and perhaps more to the point how do we educate for ownership? Through prayer, 30 years of experience in leadership roles and via research, I have come to the conclusion that a key part of the answer to that question requires a paradigm shift in the way we educate and raise up people in order that genuine learning and growth takes place. Simply put, it means adopting a coaching role in the way we parent, the way we help our spouse/sibling/friend, the way we teach and the way we lead.

For example how do we effectively help someone grasp the depths of the Divine Principle? Certainly we can begin with presenting a lecture. However having heard a lecture does not necessarily imply that learning has taken place or that the person even recalls what was said. On the foundation of having presented a lecture and/or having got the student to read the DP text, the teacher would be well advised to adopt a coaching strategy which would include a experiential component…”

This brother, who is very dedicated to taking care of people in the right way included in his article a useful description of what life coaching is, in the form of an excerpt from a book written by Michael Arloski PhD: “NOW imagine that you begin talking with someone who approaches the process of helping you in an entirely different way. They listen to you-truly listen-not just waiting for their turn to talk. You feel they hear and understand you. Rather than stand above you they stand beside you and with you as an ally. Their agenda is your agenda.

This person does not live with you or work with you, they work for you. You employ them to help you find your way through that swamp that impedes your progress. They require you to look into yourself, to acknowledge your strengths and build upon them in order to confront your fears. They ask questions not so much to gain information, as to require you to seek answers from within yourself, to benefit yourself.

They come equipped with tools that help you take stock of your life and with effective methods for change. They acknowledge that you are ready to make those changes and they ask your permission to delve deeper and push you further. You are treated with respect and compassion, while you are confronted and challenged to do your best. When you make a commitment for action, they help you hold yourself accountable so that you will accomplish your goals in the time frame you allocate.

This person goes beyond gathering information and stresses motivation, helping you find within yourself the motivation needed to initiate, sustain and maintain change. They are there to celebrate your success with you. They are your coach.”

In his second part of reflection this brother wrote: “Up to this point in human history, leaders, teachers, parents and husbands the world over have considered those who have „followed‟ to be the model object, student, child and wife. The essential strategy to elicit followship has been to ‘direct and correct‟, that is, to tell people what to do and to tell them when they do something wrong. Being creative and different was shunned and discouraged. If you are conducting a military operation or as an organisation you want to quickly achieve XYZ results, you are best advised to apply the ‘direct and correct’ model. However it does not mean necessarily that

authentic human growth will occur, or that the followers automatically become mature and capable leaders.

Am I saying that there is something wrong in being a follower? No not at all. In fact being a follower is a necessary step on the path to becoming a true owner. Remember the catch cry of Hyun Jin Nim in his speaking tours when he emphasized the need to “inherit and develop” on the path to ownership?

Experience shows that the master craftsman, technician, sporting coach and the like, forged their attitudes, skills and knowledge through the fires of an apprenticeship. Simply put, if you lack the humility and willingness to follow, you do not qualify to lead and become an owner. However at what point does the follower become a leader who can be called a true owner? Bear in mind that the old school leader of today, who has for whatever reason, resisted change, is not about to open a path for his followers to all become true leaders and owners. To Your Growth, Paul S.

PS. This is a huge topic and I have only scratched the surface. Also I am the first to admit that I have not got all the answers. For this reason I invite you to engage in this discussion on what it means to be a true parent, true teacher and true leader on our path to becoming a true owner in this era of CIG.”

There is indeed a lot of very important guidance in this valuable reflection about the theme “From Followship To Ownership” which must be applied in our lives in order to get there where we are supposed to be as followers of True Parents who are to be their true representatives.

On February 25, 2011 I offered a reflection on the theme: “To love others is the origin of the Kingdom of Heaven” to the iUnificationist community in which I quoted for example Father telling us: “When you become a person who creates a heartistic relation even with your enemies, you can restore history and be resurrected.”

It was the anniversary of Father asking on January 25, 1987 that I reminded the members of the iUnificationist Meeting House of his question: “Are you real Moonies? Do the real Moonies outnumber the fake or half-hearted Moonies? Upon close examination, there seem to be few real Moonies, few people deeply committed to the Principle.”

Now, 4 times 6 years later the subscribers of iUnificationist were offered this question again and Heaven was watching how they would react, if the situation had changed from two and a half decades ago when Father expressed his concern about the internal standard of our worldwide membership saying: “With your attitude, do you think you can lead, teach and save the world? It is a very, very difficult situation. You have been giving God and me so much hardship. Is what I am saying true? You have to change your situation or you cannot approach God. You have to develop a different attitude.”

On the same day, the person who was in a central position to overcome her inability to love her brother, offered to share about the topic “No expectations”: “I was irritated before that things weren´t the way I wanted them to be. Then someone said; „Just don‟t expect,so you won‟t getin trouble‟. I understood but so hard to practice to deny myself. Bad wolf and good wolf were fighting inside me. But I listened and trained to be patient. Not easy to do but I did my best. Things got more calm and I could find myself getting things done.

No more expectations and frustrations, just trust in God and joy in doing my part. Surprises! Surprises! Woow! It didn‟t take so long, heaven responded to what´s inside my heart. Situations changed for the better.

Deep inside, just tears of gratitude and repentful attitude, reflecting profoundly, realizing how little faith I have for heaven to work, but this has given me great lessons to never expect anything anymore!”

Not only the here quoted person but all people experience the “bad wolf and good wolf fighting inside” but this leader in our church was in the given situation in a central position to overcome and others should have supported her, based on what they have learned about her through her many contributions in this Meeting House, which included on the following day a few lines to the theme “God, Your Love is so Deep!“

“Your love is so deep! That made me shed more tears, to understand truly its profoundness. Thank you, God, for letting me take part of who You really are! So painful but so wonderful experience. Loving God and True Parents, You are so Great! Letting me more and more feel Your living presence. Through greater challenges I could sense life’s great essence!!!” On the anniversary of Father’s speech on February 25, 1987 I reminded brothers and sisters also of the following admonishment: “Up till now, I must say, your practice of the Moonie way of life has been fake to the point of being almost scandalous. On the road of indemnity… you must invest your flesh, blood and every ounce of energy. This is the kind of investment you must make. When we have paid the indemnity, when we have consummated that road, we will come to a different level. But until we reach that point, nothing less than total commitment is required.

That is the road of indemnity. Today is the day you must repent. You must say, „Yes, itis true, I have not been a good enough Moonie. But I will be different from now on.‟”

One month after the motto for the new year was given the time had come to show that what Father had to say two and a half decades ago as quoted above does not apply any more today because we have learned to truly live according to God’s desire so that we are not any more fake but true Moonies who know how to embody a heart of True Love in a challenging situation.

I would like to include here one more excerpt from that speech: “Father’s entire life was involved in this tradition, thinking, „Icannot leave even one little defect in the God-given Kingdom of Heaven‟. By the same token, that is the tradition for you. I am bequeathing that Kingdom to you, so you must not become a person who shall leave any mark of shame there.

On this momentous birthday of the True Parents, let us pledge, „I shall become the true child of our Heavenly Father and be victorious along this path, so all mankind can ultimately dwell within the heart of God.‟”

Our Heavenly Father must make sure that we truly inherit the right kind of tradition in every respect and therefore we are put into situations where it becomes clear where we stand internally.

In this series I share with you how such a course had come about centered on the iUnificationist Meeting House and how core representatives of this community behaved in the hour of testing – when they were tempted not to practice the Heavenly way – in the hope that we all learn valuable lessons for our own lives.