Ep 428 - Indomitable Faith, Determination And Perseverance Part 1
Indomitable Faith, Determination and Perseverance #63 - December 27, 2021
I have come to my home. I see my grandchildren playing here and there. Wow! This is incredible joy and happiness. In my absence my grandchildren are growing up so much! I am happy that they recognize me. Thank you for your prayers for my family. I am really praying for our North American providence and each of our brothers and sisters. Thank you so much!
Today I’d like to talk about “Indomitable faith, determination and perseverance” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 1.
Since you understand who Father is, all of you may think I am very happy. You may simply think I am perfect in every respect. You may think, “Because God created you to be like that, and since from the beginning you were born perfect, you were chosen for the position of True Mother without needing to make any effort of your own.” Your general view of me might be that since I am married to Father and am the True Mother of the entire cosmos, I must have a happy family and be enjoying my life. This is far from the reality. Father walked the path of the cross and suffered immensely in order to stand in his position. Therefore, I in my own way also had to carry a difficult cross. When I look back and think about my circumstances in those days and the course I walked, I cannot hold back my tears. My tears become uncontrollable.
To talk about my past life is very painful, because the memories of my trials and tribulations vividly reappear. It is unbearable even to think about the path I walked.
It was a succession of trials that caused suffering difficult to endure. Just as God tested Father after He chose him, God did the same to me, again and again. And just as Satan tested Father and Jesus, he also tested me. Women may be weak compared to men, yet still I had to pass through severe and intense trials, comparable to what the Messiah passed through. (1977.05.03, Belvedere Training Center)
I grew up like a beautiful flower in a greenhouse, in the most peaceful surroundings and atmosphere. After the Holy Wedding, it was like I had been plucked out of the greenhouse and thrown into a desert. I was living in an environment like a desert. Everywhere I went it was like the rough sea had gone crazy. There were all kinds of temptations and tests around me, and many troubles swirling around. I was like a little sailboat on a rugged sea. But during this period I felt the grace of God constantly upon me. When I was in agony God revealed Himself to me and gave me messages and guidance. When I was not receiving such guidance from Him directly God used the people around me, loving people, people taking care of me. Through them God gave me constant guidance, daily instruction, and leadership.
Those days were a tremendous ordeal of difficulties and tribulations, but at the same time those days were truly most beautiful, a time of grace when God's presence was indeed with me. During the growth period I was much worried about reaching perfection, but now that that period has ended and I have reached the standard desired by Heaven, I look back upon that time and realize that all my memories of hardships have been transformed into ones of joy. I was always able to have profound dialogues and exchanges with True Father. In other words, between True Father and I, there were endless topics of conversation and infinite understanding. We held unceasing dialogues with complete trust in one another. Without having to say many words, True Father and I understood each other's situations perfectly.
For Jesus, after the 40-day fast, he was subjected to the three great temptations from Satan, and in the end, he gave his body up to the cross and suffered unimaginable hardships and sacrifices. When I think of Jesus’ suffering and hardships, I can’t help but cry.
True father, as the Messiah, also had to spend six times in prison, including Heungnam Prison, and overcame countless trials, indescribable persecution, opposition, and Satan's accusations.
True Mother is the only begotten daughter who was found for the first time in 6,000 years. Satan could not just let True mother go to the position of the only begotten daughter. True Mother had to go through the same trials as Jesus and True Father.
We need to know this point.
True Mother had to go through more trials and tribulations than any woman who came and went on this earth. She is not just given the position of True Mother, the only begotten daughter.
The position of True Mother, the only begotten daughter, must pay a lot of indemnity and price, and she must pay a price that even Satan cannot help but acknowledge. Otherwise, she should know that she won't be able to stand in that position. We should not think of True Mother as merely the wife of the Messiah.
Our hearts cannot help but ache when we think about how True Mother was able to overcome such a difficult ordeal and triumph single handedly as a woman.
Knowing that the central figures established by Heaven have all overcome many trials and tribulations through the years of hardship from Satan, we have inherited their achievements, and we think of their mistakes as my mistakes, and we must make up for their shortcomings and be victorious.
When we think about True Father -- everyone thinks about True Father’s suffering and hardships and difficulties and all kinds of indemnity. But we do not think seriously about True Mother’s indemnity course, difficult course, in order to become God’s only begotten daughter. She also needed to pay the same price, (go through the) same trials, same hardships as Father and Jesus. Otherwise, Satan would never have allowed True Mother to have the position of God’s begotten daughter. We need to know that. When we simply think that True Mother is only the shadow of True Father, she is only the messiah’s wife, we cannot think this way. In order to stand in the position of the only begotten daughter, she needed to pay the price, pay indemnity, and go through all kinds of suffering and difficulties and sacrifices. We need to know about that. Then we can understand that True Father and True Mother have the same equal position and respect each other and understand each other. If True Mother had not gone through all this and then became the messiah’s wife, she never would have understood Father’s heart. We really need to understand how much True Mother needed to go through, all kinds of suffering and difficulties, to get that position.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: Principle of Creation 9 - Life of Give and Take Action1
How can we apply the Divine Principle to our daily life? We read and read and read, but if we don’t know how to apply the Divine Principle to our daily life, that makes no sense. Let’s study the EDP content first.
• Through the agency of universal prime energy, the subject and object elements of every entity form a common base and enter into interaction. This interaction, in turn, generates all the forces the entity needs for existence, multiplication, and action.
• The interaction generating these forces through this process is called give and take action.
• Universal prime energy and the forces generated by give and take action are in a reciprocal relationship of cause and result, internal and external, and subject partner and object partner.
• Hence, universal prime energy is a vertical force, while the forces generated by give and take action are horizontal forces.
• Let us examine in detail God and His creation in terms of universal prime energy and give and take action.
• God's universal prime energy directs His eternal dual characteristics (original internal nature and original external form) to form a common base for their mutual relationship. The dual characteristics then engage in give and take action.
• Based on the forces generated by this give and take action, the dual characteristics construct a foundation for their eternal reciprocation. This is the foundation for the existence of God, upon which He eternally exists and generates all forces needed to create and sustain the universe.
• In the created universe, the dual characteristics (internal nature and external form) that make up each being are empowered by universal prime energy to establish a common base. They then engage in give and take action.
• Based on the forces generated by this give and take action, the dual characteristics construct a foundation for their continued reciprocation. This becomes the foundation for the existence of each individual being, upon which the being becomes an object partner to God and is able to generate all forces necessary for its continued existence.
• For example, atoms come into existence when electrons assemble about a nucleus and engage in electromagnetic interaction, which is a type of give and take action.
• Molecules form and produce chemical reactions when positive ions and negative ions perform give and take action.
• Also, the give and take action between stamen and pistil is the dominant means for the reproduction of plant life. Animals multiply and maintain their species through the give and take action between male and female.
• The human body maintains its life through the give and take action between the arteries and veins, inhalation and exhalation, and so forth. The give and take action between mind and body enables an individual to carry out activities which further the purpose of life.
• Furthermore, the give and take actions between husband and wife in a family, among people in a society, between the government and citizens in a nation, and among the nations of the world are essential for them to live together in harmony and peace.
Today, we are going to study how to apply give and take action in our lives. We studied give and take action through the content of the attributes of true love last time, but we will study it in detail once again.
Life of True Love
1. Principle of True Love: Give first and then receive later
2. Unprincipled Love: Take first and then give or even forget to give back
First, the principle of give and take of true love is to give first and then receive later.
On the other hand, unprincipled give and take is taking first and then giving. Also, it is even forgetting to give back.
Simply said, I learned not only from Yo Han Lee but also from Father:
Giving and receiving is principled, but taking and giving is a fall.
This is very simple and very clear. Once again, giving and receiving is principled, but taking and giving is a fall.
It is changing my entire life. (We need to be a person who) seeks to give and forget, to give and forget, and give again, who seeks to give and forget, and when he can no longer give, grieves and sheds tears.
First Attribute of True Love - Seeking to Give First
I love this content. This content changed my entire life.
“A love that seeks to give and forget, to give, forget, and give again, that seeks to give, forget, and when it can no longer give, grieves, shedding tears”
What does true love mean? Giving and giving and giving and giving and completely forgetting what you have forgiven. You still want to give more. When you can no longer give, then you grieve, shedding tears. Wow! Beautiful!
True Father describes the giving of true love something like this:
The first attribute of true love is a love that gives first and then forgets. Parental love is an unconditional love that always gives first and then forgets. Also, parental love is a love of unconditional sacrifice and unconditional investment. A love that invests until the other person, my object partner, is better than me is true love.
This is really amazing!
What does True Love mean?
What our neighborhood, society and country needs and demands today is parent-like leadership. True love is when parents give unconditionally to children, children give unconditionally to parents, the husband gives to his wife, the wife gives to her husband unconditionally and they sacrifice unconditionally.
More than trying to receive, the principle of true love is trying to give first -- trying to initiate and give first. If we applied the principle of true love of giving and forgetting to our family, society, nation and world, what kind of world would it be?
If a husband tries to give to and serve his wife, and his wife tries to give to and serve her husband, if a parent tries to give and serve for the sake of the children, if children try to give to and serve their parents, if Abel tries to give and serve for the sake of Cain, if Cain tries to give and serve for the sake of Abel, if people try to give and serve for the sake of the nation first, if the prime minister, the president and all other political leaders try to give and serve for the sake of the people, what kind of world will it be?
Always the Principle and truth are simple. Practice this principle: give first and forget. If everyone practices this simple principle, the kingdom of heaven would already be here.
If as a husband, wife, or parent in the family or as a leader of the nation, if we try to give first, then the Kingdom of Heaven will come automatically. However, many people do not know this basic and simple truth.
As True Father said, if a person leaves behind at least three episodes, unforgettable episodes, in their life which God cannot never forget, their name is recorded in the Book of Life in Heaven and that person will never go to Hell.
Yo Han Lee’s story: When he was studying in Japan under Japanese occupation of Korea -- he was studying in a theological school -- the Japanese government asked all students to worship at a shrine to Japanese gods. He did not want to worship Japanese gods. The school principal told him, “You need to make a choice. Either leave school, or if you want to study at my school, you need to worship at the Japanese shrine.” Rev. Lee asked Jesus what he should do. Immediately Jesus came down to him and shook his hand, “No!” He did not follow (the principal’s direction) and was finally kicked out of the school.
When Rev. Yo Han Lee first met True Father, … as soon as Father looked at him, he told him, “Hey, your name is recorded in the Book of Life.” Rev. Lee was surprised? “My name is recorded in the Book of Life? How?” (Father?) explained which year, which month, which day he was kicked out from the school. “You kept your life of faith. At that time, God was so moved. Your name was recorded in the Book of Life.”
(If a person has) three unforgettable episodes in his life which God can never forget, he is recorded in the Book of Life.
If you die, how many people will remember you? How many people will shed tears with a heart of gratitude?
If you are always the first to give, your relationships are always set to grow, develop, and multiply. This is the law of the universe. Am I the first to give or the first to receive?
What kind of (quality of) time (do you have)? Are you giving (most of the) time? Or receiving (most of the) time? If you are giving all the time, I am telling you, you are always increasing and developing and multiplying. Everybody welcomes you. However, if you (spend your time) only taking and receiving, you always make trouble. You have relationship problems between husband and wife, between parents and children, between Cain and Abel. You need to reflect: “Why am I struggling with my Abel? Why am I struggling with my spouse? Why am I struggling with my Cain?” You need to think about it. Is my time giving time or receiving time? We need to think about those relationships.
How about your nation? Is your nation developing or declining? In terms of both moral and economic development, if your nation applies the principle of giving first then automatically, it will develop and grow. It will become a nation (that) will receive many blessings and Heaven will work with it. A nation that is indebted to other nations cannot develop. But a nation that always helps other nations will never perish.
Now America is the center of the world. However, Corona (has hit you?). Even our church businesses are in a very difficult situation, as you know. But I encourage every subregional leader, even though we have this kind of situation, no matter what we need to help the world. Each subregion needs to select one nation in each continent. Let’s help with even a small amount of money. Which nation has the potential to create Cheon Il Guk? That’s why subregion one decided to help the Philippine nation. Subregion Two decided to help Dominica. Subregion Three (will help) Bolivia in South America. Subregion Four (will help) Albania in Europe. Subregion Five (will help) Cambodia. Canada will try to help Africa.
If we help and serve for the sake of the world, our American movement will never, ever perish. The great … blessing surely will come. This is a universal principle.
In my 64 years of experience, those who help and live for the sake of others never, ever perish. God will surely bless that person.
One thing that True Father emphasized to us was to ‘Never be indebted to anyone wherever you go.
How then do you give and forget?
The formation stage faith just likes to receive. That is the faith of a servant. The growth stage faith is giving but finding it hard to forget. The completion stage faith is giving and forgetting. (People at this level) live feeling joy just by giving alone.
Through giving alone, they are always so happy.
What is your standard? What is your stage? Formation stage? Growth stage? Completion stage?
As Oceania continental director, I visited the small nation of Micronesia. I met one of the Braman(?) chiefs. He was very arrogant, but somehow sometimes he is a humble guy. He is a little old. I educated him. The Micronesian system respects the tribal system more than the political system. Political leaders are not very powerful. The tribal system is very, very strong.
I invited him to come to Australia to listen to Divine Principle lectures. He was so inspired! He cried after listening to my lecture. He came to me and talked with me. He said, “Dr. Yong, in my life I cried two times. I cried when I came out of my mother’s womb. I never showed my tears to anyone. But since I came to this seminar, I was so moved and repented a lot. This was the second time I cried and experienced rebirth. Thank you, Father Moon. Thank you, Mother Moon. Thank you, Divine Principle.”
Later on, I invited his wife as well to Australia. She attended and she is the one who has shared such a beautiful story. The Braman chief did not know how to give love, but after learning from the Divine Principle, when he went back home, he really tried to practice his love. In his life at first he gave, say, 50 (units of) love to his wife. His wife was surprised. She was surprised because she never had received love from her husband; she had never felt that her husband loved her. However, she wondered why he had changed after he returned from Australia. She thought maybe she (?he?) would die soon, that is why he (?she?) wanted to do something good for her. She had that misunderstanding. But her husband was so sincere that she decided to give something to her husband (in return).
When human beings receive love, they cannot return (only) as much as they have received. If they receive ten (units), then they return 20, 30 or 40 (units). That is human nature. That is why when (the wife of the tribal chief) received 50 (units) of love, she wanted to return to her husband more than that. Let’s say she returned to her husband 100 (units) of love. Then her Braman(?) chief husband was so surprised. “Wow! What Dr. Yong said was true. Then I want to give more.” Then he practiced and gave his wife 200 (units) of love. His wife was so surprised, “OK, I want to return to my husband more than 200 (units) of love.” Then she returned to her husband 400 (units) of love. The husband was more excited and gave 800 (units) of love. His wife was so excited. That was two times double, double, double and the husband was thinking, “Maybe my wife will return to me 1,600 (units) of love.” But love is not a calculation. Love is to move people. Love touches people. She did her best and returned to her husband 2,000 (units) of love. Oh my God! Both of them really understood what true love means, giving first. True love, the more we give, becomes bigger and bigger and bigger and greater and greater (showing a powerpoint diagram). This is the main chart(?) of love.
However, if you receive love -- and only receive it -- then your love becomes smaller and smaller and smaller. (shows chart) Then only yourself is left. Very lonely!
If you know the nature of love, then you need to give no matter what. Then you can develop and grow and become greater.
Then Why Is Giving First and How to Gain Eternal Life?
Why then do we have to give first? It is for the sake of existing eternally and loving my partner eternally.
The more we give, the more we receive, and then giving and taking becomes continuous. That (cycle) connects to the eternal world. That’s why giving first connects to eternal life. Why do we need to give first? In order to exist eternally. Very good example.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing…”
“If you speak in the tongues of man and of angels,” many people say, “Wow! You have great faith! God is with you!” However, internally in your heart and mind, even though you speak in the tongues of man and of angels, there is no love, you are just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” “If you have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries -- wow, great faith! -- and all knowledge, and if you have a faith that can move mountains” from here to there, from here to the ocean,” “Wow! You have great faith and can bring miracles,” but in your heart and mind you don’t have any love, you are nothing. You are just a noisy gong. “If you give all you possess to the poor and surrender your body to the flames… Ok, Jesus said, you need to sell all your property, then you can go to the kingdom of heaven. His motivation is, “I sell all my property and give away (my money), maybe (that will) guarantee (that) I can enter the kingdom of heaven.” What is your motivation? Just to enter the kingdom of heaven? You put yourself first. It is not for the sake of others. As long as your motivation is to give something for the sake of others, then nothing else matters. That’s why, if you give all you possess to the poor and surrender your body to the flame, but you don’t have love, you gain nothing. You are just a noisy gong.
How much love do I have? I am nothing without love. How much have I loved God? How much have I loved Jesus? How much have I loved my country?
Only the actual achievements of love remain in the spirit world. This is because Heaven is the world of love. If you have no actual achievements of love, you can never enter Heaven. Therefore, how much I practice love each day is important. If I do not practice love one day of my life, then there is nothing, just a noisy gong. Whatever you do, if you do not do it in the name of love, then it is nothing, just a noisy gong.
I saw one guy who said, “I do not give anything for others. I do not move someone(?).” He decided to do a one-day fast because “I didn’t do anything for others.” … How beautiful, how much he is struggling, he really wants to give something for the sake of others.
What is true love? Whatever you do, the most important thing is sincerity. That’s why Father said, “Utmost sincerity moves heaven.”
Therefore, whatever you do, do not do it out of a sense of responsibility. Do not do it out of sense of duty. Do not do it out of form. Whatever I do, love it genuinely. Invest my whole sincerity. If there is no sincerity, you are just nothing.
Someone may recognize you. “That is why I do something.” Pretending to do something, that is nothing. Someone looking at you does not matter. Jesus said it does not matter. I need to be sincere to myself. I need to put my utmost heart and soul (into my offering). That is the way to move heaven.
Some of you here are in your thirties or forties or fifties or sixties, some of you will not be on this earth after 100 years pass by. Then what actual achievements will you take to the spirit world? The spirit world welcomes only the actual achievements of true love.
That is why we need to be a person of true love.
There is a secret way to immediately tell how much true love you have. It is knowing how many people will cry for you if you die. If the nation cries for a person, that person lived for the nation. Everyone will call him a true patriot. If the entire world cried for a person, that person lived for the world. We call him a saint and sage. When you live for the sake of heaven spiritual world and earthly world, we call that person a holy son and holy daughter.
The order of entering Heaven is not by order of position, wealth, abilities, or education.
True love starts from giving and giving and giving and giving and forgetting, completely forgetting what I have given and still giving more. That is the parental heart. The parental heart after giving, never remembers.
Today there is no time for youth ministry. I will share it tomorrow. For 3 or 4 days I will share about give-and-take action, give and receive -- how to apply the Divine Principle in our daily life.♦
NOTE: This lightly edited transcription may contain errors and omissions. Indecipherable or uncertain words are tagged with a “(?)” and phrases with an ellipsis “ ...”. First, second and third person pronouns have been left as spoken, and other apparently Korean English expressions have been preserved. Some repeated phrases have been eliminated. This text and the powerpoint slides from this speech are available as pdf files at the top of this text and attext.morndev.com &yong.hoondok.com. Audio only is available atanchor.morndev.com,spotify.morndev.com &audio.morndev.com.♦