by Carl Redmond-Australia, Oceania
I would like to give my impression of True Parents and their love. You know I spend my whole (church) life trying to fathom Father: and I still come up stumps! At a time when there seems to be "no hope" and "more of the same," along come True Parents throwing a rope to us poor wretches struggling in darkness and up! we go-pulled by their love to "higher ground": saved, redeemed by their compassion and love, which surely extends not only to us but to all humanity.
In my church life I experienced 20 years of leadership. Whether I was truly qualified to be a leader is another matter, but let us continue. During that time I witnessed over and over again Father's incredible love and example of incredible giving. Not only would he speak to us through the night, but also provide for our every need. Surely he was expecting us to do the same for our own brothers and sisters. The only thing was: did we have the content and same incredible heart of love towards them as our True Parents have towards us? If we in leadership positions were in a spirit to resonate with the heart, thinking and feeling of our True Parents, our church would ultimately flourish and grow! Trouble is, we get "filled up" by them at many conferences and gatherings, then we allow ourselves to get distracted and deflated by our own misdeeds and shortcomings. We think no one is watching except God and so we sin. Then we think, "Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day" and just go on from heavenly, original nature to fallen nature, from ship to shore, buffeted around by whatever inspiration comes, be it positive or unpleasant, until we finally realize that perhaps, after all, we are ultimately responsible for our own heaven and hell. Then we start to shape up and answer or respond to the call of God in our lives, and to become the people worthy of our True Parents' love and expectations, ultimately-if anyone could indeed be worthy of them!
Would adoration be the correct word to use? So often have I been saved and lifted-resurrected by your love and grace! So many times your strength of vision seems to blast us all off the planet, only to be reminded once again of how deeply and personally you care for each one of us. It truly is an agape, i.e., cosmos-centered love in the true Christian sense of the word, yet a love so personal that none could bear ill-will or resentment for not having been loved enough. For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son-that He gave us True Parents; for God so loved the world that He wants us to become the embodiment of True Parents' love, life and lineage. This then is the ultimate realization of the benefit of grace: to become Christ-or Christ-like, at least; as the Bible states: "Christ the first fruits, then at his coming, those who belong to Him," indicating, as the Divine Principle clearly states, a difference of only "time and order."
One of these days we'll get it right, Father. One of these days we will become the embodiment of all that you desire for us, all that you see in us, dearest True Parents.
Until then, be patient with us, or impatient if that's what you so desire. Here remains in the land "Down Under" one so profoundly grateful, so profoundly appreciative of all you are and bring to this world. True Parents: the Master of Giving, the Master of Love!