God’s Will and the Ocean: Episode 50

God’s Will and the Ocean
True Father Speaks on: The Ocean Church Foundation, page 157-160
June 10, 1983, Gloucester

I started the science conference years ago. At first it didn't seem like much. It took lots of thought, money and manpower to make that project go. In the beginning we had almost nothing. If you have a strong conviction and know within yourself that what you are doing is a righteous thing, nothing will stop you. You will meet difficult problems and you will overcome them, and you will just keep right on going. That's the way of life. No matter where I go, no matter what kind of clothing I wear, no matter how humble I look, I feel comfortable. Many times I have gone to the grocery store wearing my fishing clothes and people have come up to me asking, "Do you know when Reverend Moon is coming back here to fish?" That is a wonderful experience for me. No one even really knows what I look like. I prefer not to be known and seen like that. I can be natural then.

Sometimes I go to the department store and I am not even wearing shoes, just some house slippers. The sales girls who are working don't even notice I am there. I go to the department stores in particular when the sales are on. I want to buy the expensive shoes for less than twenty dollars. I am wearing shoes that are made out of snakeskin which are supposed to be more than 100 dollars. I will let you guess how much I paid for them. People don't think of me wearing sales items. I have a big, old Lincoln car, but I don't mind going straight to McDonald's with it. It's a long car. No other cars in the parking lot are like that. Such cars are usually in the high class Chinese restaurants, but for me, this kind of meal is normal. I enjoy treating the members to high class places, but I don't like to eat at those places myself. McDonald's is the usual place for me. If I explained precisely and clearly where we are going to be in just ten years you wouldn't work so hard, so I'm not going to tell you. What is precious is that I am teaching you how to do it yourself. I don't want you to miss out in getting due credit for the result. So then, will you work hard and make your own success? How many times have you prayed to God with fear in your heart? I pray like that all the time. I am serious to the point of my life. What do you feel when you go out to sea in a boat? What do you think about, what do you pray about? These are precious moments for your life.

We have to know the difference between farming the land and going out to sea. Especially on the sea, you have to depend on God and the spiritual world to guide you. Farmers also depend on such things because they have to sense when is the right time to plant and harvest. They have to know a great deal about the weather, but on the ocean you have to be even more spiritual and religious. You are completely dependent upon nature.

I love to have that kind of experience with nature and God. That is why I go to sea. Even Mother sometimes doesn't understand why I go so much to the ocean. Sometimes I am so tired. However, I understand the heart of God. Without help from the spiritual world, you cannot do anything on the ocean. I know this point very well. Do you think that God is helping you? What do you think? Is God helping me? If there is a difference, why is it so? If you understand why there is a difference, you are on the way. The ocean even misses me and I too miss the ocean. The spiritual world assists me and God comes very close to me. There is a deep bond of love that is there. I make an appointment to go out on the sea and I am anxious to get there because Heavenly Father is waiting there with intense longing for me.

I push you so hard and it seems to be cold-hearted and severe. Maybe you feel God should stop helping me because I am so harsh with you. It looks harsh to you. When you look at things as they come to you, from the front side, it looks like persecution and hardship. However, as you look back you can see that actually God was caring for you, giving you direction and guidance for your life. An ordinary person cannot receive the kind of blessing that God and I want to give to you. Do you understand this point? Love is a discipline. It is not an easy thing to do. You cannot just love some people and not others. You have to develop three things: a high spiritual antenna, a keen sense and mind for analyzing, and many experiences in life. Those three elements are necessary. You have to think of these things clearly right now. You are young and should fulfill what you are doing with your whole heart.

Specific Instructions for Ocean Church

When you go back, are you going to work even harder? I sometimes feel your words are cheap. Today, you say you will do it, but when you come back again next time, you might say, "Oh, we're sorry because we didn't really fulfill it." So, do your best. Please do your absolute best. You have studied my previous instructions, but I want to give you more specific instructions today. Please write them down:

A: SELF TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT

1: Train yourself

Before you train others, train yourself first. If you think you are already well-trained and disciplined, you have already made a big mistake.

2: Practice

Practice what you learn immediately. Fishing must be learned through experience.

3: Management of boats

Take care of your boat with a sincere heart and prayer. You have to make sure that you clean the boat and manage the boat. Learning comes through practice and training yourself. This is all under self-discipline. This summer you are going to stay and sleep on the boat. That is also part of the training. The boat is the place for your training. You have to learn how to love your boat, how to really cherish it. Then it will provide for you everlasting memories for which you will always have a special fondness.

4: The boat is your objective/purpose.

The boat is your life. You have to take care of it with just as much love as you would give your wife. Each day, before going out, you have to make a checklist of what is needed. You have to check each thing in order. By doing this, you must make sure that everything is in good, perfect working order. You cannot have the boat break down. You have to maintain a constant checklist and go over it every day. Make sure you have the proper oil and gas, everything. If you do not properly maintain your boat, you may die. It is absolutely that serious. You will be out on the water and something may break down. This should never happen. Do you understand clearly?