A Great Life. We Were All Created For

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1 We Were All Created For A Great Life To fulfill that potential, we need to learn from those who have walked before us. This account of an extraordinary life is an invitation to a discovery of the greatness within you.

2 Everyone wants to live a great life. What can empower us? In order to achieve a happy and meaningful life, we need a vision and a path to overcome the inevitable challenges along the way. It helps to have great teachers and mentors, whether through a direct relationship or through their stories, to guide and enlighten us. Behind extraordinary people are extraordinary principles Through the lives of such people who have lived in pursuit of an ideal, and overcome great obstacles, we can discover the wisdom to inform our own lives. Sir Isaac Newton once commented, If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. Near the end of his long life of 92 years, Rev. Moon shared a candid account of his journey in pursuit of a world of peace. His dream was to empower humanity to fulfill the vision of One Family Under God. Sharing the story of his own life, he offers profound insight gained through a world of experience which has touched the hearts of millions, and can offer wisdom to enrich your life. Even now, I am filled with love that I have not yet been able to give. It is with a prayer that this love will become a river of peace saturating the drought-stricken land and flowing to the ends of the earth that I now place this book before the world.

3 EARLY LIFE Facing Human Suffering Growing up in his war-torn and impoverished homeland of North Korea, he set out on a journey in search for peace. The suffering of one family seemed connected to the suffering of the nation and of the world. I was increasingly troubled to see the wretched situation of the Korean people under Japan s increasingly tyrannical rule. People didn t have enough to eat. They were sometimes forced to take grass, tree bark, and whatever else they could find, and boil these for food. There seemed to be no end to wars around the world. Searching For Truth The Word of God I was hearing in church, however, was not sufficient by itself to give me the clear answers I was seeking. To relieve the frustrations in my heart, I naturally began to immerse myself in prayer. Who am I? Where did I come from? What is the purpose of life? What happens to people when they die? Is there a world of the eternal soul? Does God really exist? Is God really all-powerful? If He is, why does He just stand by and watch the sorrows of the world? My heart was filled with these serious and fundamental questions. No one could easily answer them for me, so my only option was to pray. Prayer helped me to find solace. Whenever I laid out the anguishing problems in my heart to God, all my suffering and sorrow vanished and my heart felt at ease. I began spending more and more time in prayer, to the point that, eventually, I began praying through the night all the time. As a result, I had a rare and precious experience in which God answered my prayers. That day will always remain as the most cherished memory of my life a day I can never forget.

4 RECEIVING GOD S CALL The following experience launched Rev. Moon's search and discovery of a teaching called the Divine Principle. It was the night before Easter in the year I turned sixteen. I was praying all night and begging God in tears for answers. Early Easter morning, after I had spent the entire night in prayer, Jesus appeared before me. He appeared in an instant, like a gust of wind, and said to me, God is in great sorrow because of the pain of humankind. You must take on a special mission on earth having to do with Heaven s work.

5 A LIFE LIVED FOR OTHERS To bring a world of peace, I have spent my life going to the most lowly and secluded places. I met mothers in Africa who could only watch helplessly as their children died of hunger, and I met fathers in South America who lived by a river full of fish but couldn t support their families by fishing. At first, all I did was simply share my food, but they granted me their love in return. Intoxicated with the power of love I went on to plant seeds and cultivate forests. Together we caught fish to feed hungry children, and these trees were used to build schools. I was happy even as mosquitoes bit me all over as I fished all through the night. Even when I was sinking knee-deep into mud, I was happy because I could see the shadows of despair disappear from the faces of my neighbors. The Principles born of such a life and taught by Rev. Moon are profoundly empowering. LESSONS OF A LIFETIME Peace Within Myself The ability to give and receive love may be as vital to human life as breathing, yet true love does not come naturally. Rather, it must be taught, learned, and practiced. Mahatma Gandhi once said Be the change you want to see in the world. When we resolve our inner conflicts, and cultivate a heart of love and service we too can become a global citizen enriching the lives of others. The teacher with whom we have the closest relationship is our heart. Our heart is more precious than our closest friends and even more precious than our parents. So, as we live our lives, we need periodically to ask our hearts, Am I living a good life now? Anyone can hear his heart speaking to him. If he comes to the realization that his heart is his master, he polishes his heart and maintains a close relationship with his heart throughout his life If you quiet yourself and focus your mind, there is a place deep down where the mind is able to settle. You need to let your mind go to that place.

6 Peace Between Men and Women Once the relationship between men and women has been resolved, only then is it possible to build a peaceful world. In marriage we receive the blessing of love and put it into practice in our own lives. We must understand this precious meaning of marriage, conduct our lives in marriage in the context of true love and bring about true families. We need marriage because it is the true way to develop our love.... Our entire life should be centered on true love. We should be born in true love; we should grow in true love; we should live centered on true love, and we should return to true love when we die. The way of true love is life for the sake of others. This is the purpose of a holy marriage. Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon

7 Peace in the Family To become a family of peaceful nations we must first become nations of peaceful families. The family is a bundle of love. When we go to the Kingdom of Heaven and unpack that bundle, a wonderful father and mother will jump out. Beautiful children will jump out. A benevolent grandfather and grandmother will jump out. This is the bundle of love. The family is the space in which God s ideal is realized and the place where we can see the completion of God s work. God s will is to bring about a world in which love is made real, and the family is the place where God s love overflows. As a Peace Loving Global Citizen Peace Among Religions Religion s role is to turn human beings toward goodness and resolve their conflicting nature that finds enjoyment in fighting. Examine the major religions of the world. They all hold a peaceful world Peace in the World I have proposed a restructuring of the United Nations as a bicameral institution. In addition to the General Assembly there would be a religious, or cultural, assembly or council. Alexander Haig, Former US Secretary of State and Former Supreme as their ideal. They all want to see a kingdom of heaven, utopia, or paradise. Religions have different names for this ideal, but they all seek such a world. Allied Commander for NATO has commented, Dr. Moon has emerged as a great peacemaker and unifier on the world stage. He is a leading force for interreligious dialogue and understanding between people of all backgrounds, and for global peace and security.

8 We were all created to be great men and women. God did not send us into this world without purpose. When God created us He invested His complete love into each person. So we were all created for greatness. From As a Peace Loving Global Citizen To learn more about Rev. Moon's teachings and creating a life you love, see To get a copy of the book, As a Peace Loving Global Citizen Contact BAFCoffice@gmail.com For more information about Bay Area Family Church