It is the essence of God that longs for a deep relationship to us
According to the Abrahamic religions, God is a personal God. This means that we humans may have a personal relationship with him. What is it about God that allows such a relationship? Father Moon elaborates that it is not God‘s outer being, his energy and power. On the contrary, it is the inner qualities of God, his heart, the very essence of God, his innermost being. In his heart, God longs for a deep relationship with us.
According to Sun Myung Moon, it is the creation that gives us the best understanding of God. You may understand an artist’s mind by studying his works of art. In the same way, we understand something about God by studying his creation.
Everything in creation has an inner nature and an outer being. It is not only we humans who have an inner nature, a mind. Animals have it too, a mind characterized by instincts. In plants, we observe a plant mind, which regulates the external form and functions of the plant. Even in inorganic matter, the inner nature is expressed as inherent properties, that govern the material structure.
As the dual characteristics of inner nature / outer form are a universal feature of creation, the conclusion is that the being who created all things – God – must also have such an inner nature and an outer being. The outer aspect of God is his energy and power, the inner aspect his mind. Important aspects of God‘s mind are his emotion, intellect, and will. We humans are created in God‘s image. Therefore, we too have emotion, intellect and will. But the deepest aspect of God, the innermost, is his heart. It is from his heart that his love flows.
It is only by understanding the heart of God that we understand the essence of God, his core. It is in his heart we find the reason God created. He created everything because he wanted someone to express his deepest heart to. The goal of creation was precisely us humans. Everything is created for us and to be managed by us. God therefore longs for a relationship in his heart with us humans.
This is somewhat similar to how we all love to have someone to express our heart to. Without it, life becomes superficial.
As it was we human beings who were the very goal of God’s work of creation, by understanding our own situation, we may understand God‘s heart. When God created the first humans, he was full of expectation and hope. His dream of having someone he could express his love to, and who would respond to him, was going to come true.
However, it did not work out that way. The dream was shattered. The humans left God and began to behave dead against God‘s expectations. He could not love them, and they could not love him. God became deeply distressed and frustrated. He became a broken-hearted God, with a heart full of sorrow and pain.
However, God did not give up. He had no choice but to begin the painstaking process of restoration, determined to regain what was lost. He had to endure countless setbacks. There were so many he called who failed him. Still God never abandoned humanity.
After thousands of years, he was finally able to recreate a new Adam – Jesus. Again, God‘s heart was full of hope and great expectation. But although God had painstakingly prepared a foundation for his son, he was treated most cruelly and hung on a cross.
Therefore, God had to slowly prepare a new foundation. God‘s hope is that the Messiah at the second coming, the third Adam, will be the one who can finally give God what he has always longed for – a world where God can one day live in our midst and express his love to us, at the same time that we show God our love to him. Such a world is of course not something one human – not even a Messiah – can create. We must all lend a helping hand. Then, we may develop a deep relationship with God in our heart, when we help to free God‘s heart from its heavy sorrow and deep frustration.
“Essence of God” – text: Knut Holdhus
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