Sun Myung Moon
September 11, 1972
Excerpt
God's Will and the World
Why We Have to Go Through Hardships
Unofficial Translation
Why does God require you to be obedient? God does not do it for His own joy but for man. God puts man in the position of His ideal object and gives him the responsibility of completing the purpose of recreation. Thus, man must not only reject the factors of the fall but also overcome them. Because the fall originated from disobedience to God, He must order us to have absolute obedience as a requisite condition to reverse this. Therefore while living a religious way of life you must not complain. You must not make excuses for yourself. You must be absolutely obedient. This is the logical conclusion.
Absolute obedience is simply said, a hardship. The purpose of hardship is ultimately to set forth conditions for you to be recognized as standing in the perfected position from God's original state of creation. Therefore, if you undergo hardships and sacrifice, you will stand in the realm of perfection. You must fulfill that way of life knowing this is the only way to reach perfection. Then, the religion must emphasize living the way of hardships. You should clearly and logically understand this. To overcome the way of the fall, there is no way but the way of absolute obedience. Therefore, God has to demand for you to seek the way.
In the way of restoration, complaint is never permitted. It is not allowed. You cannot go this way crying and weeping with despair. Even though you are going through the hard path of absolute faith and obedience, you must be filled with hope and joy. Why do you have to go this way? This is the way of recreation. You are on the path of hope, therefore your attitude must only be that of joy. You must not walk the path of faith while feeling dejected and disappointed. Therefore, sacrifices and hardships are the instruments by which you give everything and gain everything.
Which religion has shown the greatest love in history? A religion which teaches the greatest self sacrifice is the one which is able to love the entire world. Christianity is a religion founded upon martyrdom. It has spread throughout the world by the sacrificial shedding of blood. Therefore, among all the religions, Christianity has shown the greatest filial piety in front of God. We can conclude that the world must return to God centering upon Christianity. How long can you continue to sacrifice with a heart of love? This is what determines whether you have victory or defeat.
However, if God is our True Parent, does He feel joy or sorrow when His children have to suffer? Even in the parent-child relationship of this fallen world, no parents want to cause suffering for their children. Then, why does God make man walk this path of hardship? God's situation has been most painful as He has to lead this dispensation! If you can understand God's situation, you will feel how miserable He is. No matter how much hardship you may have to go through, it is only your lifetime; your life on the earth is within one century.
Therefore, it is the way of filial piety and loyalty to offer daily encouragement to God. If you complain selfishly after knowing all this, you will be considered an unfilial child who cannot be forgiven by the cosmos.