Ep 430 - Suffering at Danbury and Heung-jin nim's Seonghwa
Suffering at Danbury and Heung-jin nim's Seonghwa #65 - December 29, 2021
I am really enjoying being with my family members every day, taking care of my grandchildren and sharing with my children. It is an incredible time every day!
Today I’d like to talk about “Suffering at Danbury and Heung-jin nim's Seonghwa” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 1.
When True Father left for Danbury, I was devastated and distressed. Realizing that we would be parted for quite a while, there was only darkness before me and all energy was drained from my body. I could not help but say to him, “I never dreamed that something like this could happen. Not even for a moment did I think that you would have to go to Danbury, and now that it has actually happened, I don't know what to do.” True Father, however, spoke to our children all day, telling them repeatedly, “Don't worry about me, because I will never lose in real life.” When I heard him say that, I was able to set my mind at ease.
True Father told me that when I saw how things turned out, I would offer prayers of gratitude. His words conveyed his firm conviction that he would transform this suffering into a victory. In fact, he said that the way would be opened by which America and the world can be saved. I want to ask you all to join forces and do everything you can to carry out what True Father desires of you quickly, and make it a great success, so that True Father can be released as soon as is reasonably possible. I truly hope that you will devote yourselves to fulfilling your external responsibilities, in addition to offering prayers internally, which is a matter of course.
I came back renewing my resolution to bring about the day on which True Father can return with joy as quickly as possible, by devoting all our energies into what we need to do. I hope that you in particular will faithfully carry out your given tasks and attain many great and wonderful achievements. I know that everyone has set a prayer time for True Father, and the truth is that I wanted to fast and pray for him with our eldest son, but Father told us not to do so. He said, though, that we may fast on Sunday together, and so we should fast only on Sunday and not on any other day. The thought that my fasting would cause True Father even more worries made me answer him, “I will do as you have asked.” (1984.07.21, East Garden)
According to True Mother, when True Father went to Danbury Prison, (when) she called True Father, he told her and True Children, “Don’t worry about me because I will never lose in real life.” True Father’s view of faith is that “God will never coerce(?) me to suffer losses if I am certain of my vertical relationship with God in the face of an ordeal(?). In other words, the greater the indemnity and the greater the hardship, the greater the blessing given by God in proportion to it. Therefore, … the ordeal God gives to me (is) in order to act(?) and for my growth and development as the providence(?). You should think that you will never lose anything. True Father said his hardship in Danbury Prison would … open the way for the United States and the world to be saved -- and it really turned out that way.
We must deal with the reality given to us with the same faith as our True Parents. (Their) hardship and indemnity (offered?) the opportunity to shorten the distance to the given goals.
However, there is one condition, when I suffer hardships and pay indemnity, (I should) have hope in their midst(?). Don’t think of them as pain, but be grateful and never, ever complain. Be more humble before human(?) ordeals and love the given reality and environment more than anyone else. Do your best to live as if you were born for that environment, and (then) leave behind a victory.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: Principle of Creation 9 - Life of Give and Take Action 1
• 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.
Yesterday we spoke about what the principle of true love means? What does give-and-take action mean? Always giving first.
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.
When we apply this principle all the time, we try to initiate and try to give to others first. Then our life is very, very powerful and very joyful. This is one of the top secrets in our daily life.
Since I joined this movement and (tried to) apply this principle, I was so excited to hear from True Father about what give-and-take action is. “You need to give first.” Father said, “I am telling you guaranteed, (if you do this) your life of faith will be very meaningful, joyful and powerful, always growing, always developing and then multiplying.” Since that time I really applied this principle and I had an incredible life-changing experience.
However, unprincipled love is always to take first and then give or even forget to give back. Sometimes we take things for granted. Whenever you receive something from your parents, your brothers and sisters, or from others and just take it for granted, this is a big problem. There is no appreciation. Our mission is always giving and giving and giving and completely forgetting what I have given and still wanting to give more.
Give and Take Action in the Bible
Matt 7:1-2 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Matt 7:12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matt 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
If I criticize others, I will always be criticized. Therefore no matter what the situation or criticism (that) comes, always look at others in a good way. If I look at others badly, I am bound to get worse because there are bad points in me. When I can see the other person’s bad points, if there is only good in my heart, then I can see everyone in a good way. In fact, even in a bad situation or if the person is bad, if you carry that sin as your own sin, you will never lose in your spiritual life.
The conclusion is to look at everyone in a good way all the time. However, if you look at the shortcomings, you should look at them as your own sin. This is the best way to protect yourself. Seeing others negatively all the time is evidence that there are always negative elements in your heart and mind. When you see others badly, it means you have a lot of bad elements in your heart already. A person with a good heart always tries to look at the good in others. If you do not have fallen nature, even if you see the fallen nature in others, you try to embrace it and think of it as your own fallen nature. The important thing is how to protect your mind and heart. If you see someone badly, then immediately your standard of heart will come down. That is why no matter what the situation even though you see someone’s shortcomings and bad points, accept them as “my own sin, my own problems.” That is the way to protect your heart and mind. That is why the Bible says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Wow! The bible guidance, Jesus’ word, is really amazing.
Matt10:41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
Matt10:42 : And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward
Do you want to receive the prophet’s reward or do you want to receive a righteous person’s reward? What should I do if I want to receive the reward of God directly, rather than the reward of the prophet or the righteous person? If you serve and treat the other person as if they are God, you will receive God’s reward. I receive the reward in proportion to the attitude of my heart. If you treat someone as a prophet, you will receive the prophet’s reward. If you treat someone as a righteous person, you will receive a righteous person’s reward. However, if you treat anyone as “my God,” then you will receive the reward of God.
Why do I receive an award for giving a cup of cold water to a little person? Receiving a reward from someone has nothing to do with whether (the gift) is externally or naturally large or not. The problem is the attitude of my mind.
When a disciple of Jesus visited a poor woman’s house, she was too poor to serve anything. At that time if the woman cried and pleaded with tears to heaven that she had nothing to give and yet she welcomed Jesus’ disciple with tears and heart and served him a cup of cold water, that woman would never lose her reward from heaven. She could not give anything, just a glass of cold water, but she invested her sincerity with a sorry mind and tears and served a glass of cold water. Then Jesus said, “God will never forget you.”
When God rewards a person, he looks at the attitude of his heart and then blesses him. This is great guidance from the Bible.
Let’s study some content from True Father’s family.
A Tradition of Father Moon’s Family
Father Moon’s family had a tradition of receiving guests and beggars since his great-grandfather Jeong Heul Moon. With the teaching of ‘Give hospitality to everyone who comes to our house’, people wandering around from Yong-nam and Ho-nam province in southern part of Korea heading North and to Manchuria which is near China were all given hospitality. The indebted people would offer thankful greetings and even if the village was out of sight, they would put their hands together and pray for the family’s blessings.
And when a beggar came by and said “Give me some rice” three times and then nobody responded among his family members, his grandfather would take his own bowl and offer it to the beggar directly. A great person such as Father Moon could be born because of such a family. Therefore, if you want to receive Blessing, you must give Blessing to others first.
Whenever I share this reading about the tradition in True Father’s family with ambassadors for peace and ACLC ministers, I am always so inspired.
There are three lessons to learn from Father Moon’s family.
Three Lessons to Learn from Father Moon’s Family
1. Attend and serve people like God
> Treat people as God’s guests
> They practice the philosophy of “One family under God”
It does not matter what color you are or what nationality you have. Treat everyone without exception as God’s guests
If you want to receive Blessing then you treat people who are coming to your house as God’s guest.
Father Moon’s family treats anyone who comes to their house as God’s guests. That is the reason Father Moon’s family gave hospitality to everyone. It does not matter whether they were beggars or not.
Why did Father Moon’s family treat beggars as (if they were) God? If God visits the family wearing beggar’s clothes and they drive the beggar out, the family will miss the chance of heavenly fortune.
2. If you want to receive Blessing, you must give Blessing to others first.
Many people expect Blessing just to fall from Heaven or (for heaven to) bring some good fortune. This is a misunderstanding.
However, it is said that the channel of blessing must come through people, not from the sky, not from somewhere else, not from the spiritual world all of a sudden. Any blessing will come through human beings.
Therefore, treat the people related to me as precious as God. Otherwise, there is no channel where I can receive the blessing. Many people are unaware of this simple principle.
Do you have a “giving culture all the time in your family? How about, do you have that kind of culture of giving hospitality to anyone”?
Just now Mark Hernandez said that at the Seonghwa ceremony of someone who had just passed away, many, many people came, even to the Won Jon (ceremony). What does this mean? Surely that person had a giving culture all the time in her family.
3. Love is replenished by giving, therefore it can continue forever.
> The person who gives will never perish. Heaven protects those who give
How do you manage your money? The fact is that money is governed by giving. Just because you don't spend money and save money doesn't mean you control money. Giving money for someone else means that (the giver) is already in control of money.
A person who cannot control money will never give money to others. It's an amazing truth. Therefore, you should be able to give and give and give. If you keep giving money for other people, you become a character who can control money.
So our mission is what? To keep giving. The more I give, the bigger it gets, my mission and responsibility get bigger, and my heart grows bigger and wider. In the end, my heart will reach the level of heart that can embrace all mankind.
That is why Father says the person who gives will never perish. Heaven always protects those who give.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: Moses and His Faith Journey - The Reason God Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart
1. To repeatedly manifest God’s power.
2. That Pharaoh would realize his powerlessness.
3. For the Israelites to cut off Israel’s attachment to Egypt.
After each plague, God hardened the Pharaoh’s heart. There were several reasons for this.
1. By repeatedly manifesting his powers, God wanted to show the Israelites that he was God.
2. God wanted the Pharaoh to make his best efforts in holding on to the Israelites before forcing him to to give them up, then the Pharaoh would realize his powerlessness and abandon any lingering attachment to the Israelites after they left.
3. God wanted the Israelites to cut off their attachment to Egypt by provoking in them strong feelings of hostility against the Pharaoh.
1. The reason God hardened the Pharaoh's heart and made him lose any lingering attachment was to bring the Pharaoh to natural surrender. Since bringing Satan to forced surrender would leave conditions of accusations, it was to bring the Pharaoh to natural surrender and feel “God is truly a great God,” “God is indeed righteous,” “God is surely the God of love.” God established His power to the Pharaoh while allowing him to do as he wanted, and comparatively, in this way, He was able to manifest the kind of power He had.
2. In Korea, there is a wrestling match. But in this wrestling match, you are given a chance to fight three times. After losing the first match, you have the desire to try again, but after losing three times, you say you have lost completely and surrender. After losing all three times, you cannot hold onto attachments. Strangely, the number three makes you break off lingering attachments. What we learn here is that when we fight with the partner and win, you must definitely bring them to natural surrender. You should not create conditions that leave the other person with any lingering attachments.
3. If you leave the partner conditions of accusations, that is not complete victory. This is very important. A victory where the other person is left upset and with lingering attachments is not a complete victory. You must gain a complete victory in which even the opposing side says “Indeed, you are victorious” and “I no longer have any lingering attachments.” This kind of victory will be a true victory. In other words, the Providence of Restoration is the providence of natural surrender which is total surrender. As long as Satan's accusation remains, Abel must take on trouble and sacrifice for the other person until there is no more accusation and serve until the other person is touched. If God was victorious after forcing fallen man and Satan to surrender, He would have already gained victory. However, in the world of love, since it is impossible to possess complete joy and happiness by force, God has been enduring and waiting. If someone accuses you, you have not yet won a complete victory. So you serve and love him until he is moved by you and gives you total surrender.
For example, if you are accused by your wife, you have not done enough until your wife completely, totally surrenders. Then what should you do? You need to serve and attend and move your spouse. Then your spouse will say, “That is already enough. I am really okay. I totally and absolutely surrender to you.”
While we know that God is such a powerful God, he never uses his power or force. Why? God’s kingdom of heaven is the world of true love, not force. There is no accusation in the kingdom of heaven. If someone accuses you, it means you have not yet completed victory. If your children accuse you, that means you have not yet won over your children’s hearts. If your parents complain to you, that means you have not yet won over your father and mother, you are not yet God’s filial son or daughter. That is why God’s providence has been prolonged and delayed over and over. God is amazing.
We cannot win over someone by hitting, by force. Even though you may win over someone by force or by hitting, you need to do it again. While he may have externally surrendered to you, internally he has not surrendered. That is why the conclusion of God’s providence of restoration is what? Total surrender, complete surrender, natural surrender. What is my mission? How can I move someone’s heart? When someone loses to me and then completely, totally surrenders. Touching and moving means, “You win (over) me. You are better than I am.” Otherwise Satan will never go back.
When you hear some kind of accusation from your spouse, your wife, your husband, your brothers and sisters, from your Abel, from your Cain, from your parents, from someone else, you need to repent. “I need to serve more. I need to attend more.” Not just attendance, not just serving. “I need to move that person’s heart.”
If we do something by duty or responsibility, we never win someone’s heart. We need to do it joyfully, happily, and you need to invest your utmost sincerity and your heart without any kind of selfish thinking, winning over someone’s heart. Then there are no accusations. Then your opponents say, “You have won me. I totally, completely surrender to you.” We call that what? Natural surrender.
God’s kingdom of heaven is not the world of force, but it is full of True Love. There is no accusation. It is not (won over) by external power. You cannot win over (someone) by hitting him. Even though you conquer someone by force or power or external things or by money, you cannot win that person’s heart. This is why God’s providence takes a long time because the world of the kingdom of heaven is like that.
4. Also, another reason God hardened Pharaoh's heart was to make the Israelites realize that He was their God and create a deep heartistic connection and then completely cut off ties with Satan. God had the intention to show the Israelites that Satan was no longer a great enemy to Him, cut off their attachments to Egypt, and enter Canaan despite any trials. Then, He hardened Pharaoh's heart so that the Israelites could have absolute faith and absolute obedience to God. Next, it was done in hope that by the Israelites’ having hostility towards evil, that is, God’s bitter heart against evil, they would not commit evil acts again and their relationship with God would become thorough.
5. During the course of your life, there will be many times when things do not happen as you wish, such as being poor, sick, unemployed, failing in business, getting a divorce, etc. Even though you decide that your wish must be a certain way and you do your best to achieve it, there will be times when you fail a test, all things do not go as you wish, or you become sick. Even if husband and wife want to become one with each other through love, there are times when they unwillingly become enemies. In this case, what should you do? Will you be on Satan’s side or God’s side? This is similar to asking if the Israelites stood in a position on the Pharaoh's side or God’s side.
This is your own portion of responsibility you must take alone. When tribulations come, you must keep in mind that each of us is responsible for deciding which side I stand on.
That is why when many trials and difficulties come, you need to know which side you should stand on, God’s side or Satan’s side. I need to choose to complain or to be grateful. That is our portion of responsibility.
Not just choosing God’s or Satan’s side, but when we choose God’s side, I need to love my opponent, my enemy -- even my Satan -- and I need to make a condition, which is, natural surrender. That’s why recently if someone doesn’t like me or accuses me for this and that, that means I still have far to go. My goal is not simply to do my best for that person, but to move and touch that person (so that) he completely surrenders to me, total surrender.
Remember that in the kingdom of heaven there are no accusations. If someone accuses you, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You need to fix that problem, to solve that problem. That’s why even though our life of faith is not easy, we need to invest all our heart and mind and do our best. Our goal is what? How to lead my opponent to surrender. That is the point. Even though it is not a simple job, let’s do our very best. Even if your spouse, your wife, your husband, your children accuse you, you need to think that “I need to serve more, I need to do more.” Do not complain, and only think, “I need to be more humble; then how can I touch that person?” Then through my love and heart, he really completely surrenders and cries and cries. “You are truly my Abel. You are truly my husband or wife; you are truly my father or mother, you are truly my Abel, you are truly my son or daughter!” That is our mission. We need to remember: total surrender, which is natural surrender.♦
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 at text.morndev.com & yong.hoondok.com. Audio only is available at anchor.morndev.com, spotify.morndev.com & audio.morndev.com.♦