May I offer you something?

Simon Cooper
September 9, 2010

Been learning something that many of you understand way better than me.

Most mornings I go into my church for 4.55 am, do some exercises, meditation, bow to God and True Parents, pledge, pray, study, and share with others who are there about our different and common experiences.

But for all that to be kick started I have to get out of bed around 4.30 am or a bit earlier. Normally use 2 alarms with 10 minute interval on my phone. That rolling out of bed bit is often the more painful part. As I go from lying horizontally to standing vertically it's hard to understand why, and hard to connect to what I will be doing 30 minutes later.

We were discussing together this morning after our readings, and I realized that the all important first part -- of getting up -- which allows everything else to happen, is about offering my body to God. Why, because then 30 minutes later I can offer what there is of my heart and mind.

In section 6.3 of Chapter 1, you will have to scroll down a bit, there is an amazingly clear explanation of how our physical and spiritual self interact. But the main point I always forget to remember is that there are these two entities that need to relate properly for 'me' to be happy and connect to God, and do and be all the things that I have in my heart.

This morning we realized that the action we make with our body to get up a bit earlier in order to make time for God, means that we make an offering, not in a dissimilar way from how all the Old Testament figures offered what was precious to them. Bottom line is that our sleep is precious to us. And it hurts, a little bit, or a lot, to give.

There is a point where it stops hurting. It is when we have trained enough that our body no longer becomes the main offering, but instead we are more focused on offering our love and heart.

Here is the scary bit: lots of us get up early to get into work on time. Some of us start work very early in the morning and we get up despite the fight against our body's tiredness.

Why? We want to honor our company's commitment to us. We want to please our boss. We want to get paid. We want to move on up the corporate ladder.

So we are still making an offering. We are still offering our body for 'something'. But when we miss bowing to God (takes 10 seconds). Or praying at the side of our bed (3 minutes.) Or offering our Family Pledge (few more minutes.) Or studying God's word at some point along the way, essentially we bypass God.

And guess what, we now have a new god. We are still going through hardships, making sacrifices, facing challenges. We still make offerings. The sad thing is that with out realizing it your boss/work/employer becomes your god, or if they are just a means to an end to satisfy what you need, then at least you have made yourself your god.

Now I know that might sound a bit dramatic. But think about it -- if you do not bow before the invisible, all loving, omnipresent God -- then ironically, because of how He made you, you make a false god.

In the cold light of personal realization, it dawned on me this morning how much that time I make in the morning protects me from in the end, worshiping myself. (Obvious point really…of course this is all nothing super new, most faith traditions understand this on some level, just as Unificationists we must remember the Principle, which explains it so well, still applies to us when we receive God's blessing.)

Offer God your body today. God bless.

Simon