How to Live a Life of Great Blessings

Luke 12:48 says, “To whom much is given, of him much will be required.” Since God has given us the greatest gift—the gift of life—and in that the potential to create a life, family and community we love, then according to Luke wouldn’t that entail a huge responsibility? Requirement or responsibility aren’t the most exciting words, but what if fulfilling our responsibility could be more of an adventure than a burden?

The gift of life, according to Father Moon, founder of the Unification faith, can be broken down into three great blessings which represent the three greatest milestones in our spiritual development. These blessings are actually our potential and the life we are meant to live, a roadmap of sorts, but it’s up to us to take that road and make it happen! If life is a series of choices we make, then our responsibility is simply a matter of being conscious of the journey because inevitably, we are destined to fulfill it. No matter where we are now, we do have the ability to go all the way down this road with God by our side. So where do we start?

1. Be fruitful.

At a young age, we need to set the way for the rest of our lives to flourish by simply becoming a person of integrity. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. We’re often conflicted between right and wrong, even debating whether “right” and “wrong” exist. But we’re not alone. Our families are designed as our first school of love, where we mature and learn principles and values and make responsible and healthy choices. We come to know God through our parents and we discover our identity as sons and daughters of God.

Think of a major growth experience you’ve had in the context of your family. Was it a big adventure? A small moment? A treasurable piece of advice? What did you gain from it? How are you going to live your life differently now that you’ve had this experience?

Being fruitful is all about growing into the kind of person whom our spouse will one day love dearly, and whom our kids will look up to. How do you imagine such a person?

2. Multiply

By the time we have grown ourselves into mature and loving people, we are ready to raise a family of our own. Having developed our hearts in our families, it is easier for us to create true and lasting love in our relationships and to teach this to our kids. We want to create the same growth experience for our children that we got through our parents, so they too can fulfill the three great blessings and reach their own unique creative potential. This cycles through the generations and our families become the building blocks for a good world living for God.

Think about your own family. Can you see what values you have learned from your parents that you’ve passed on to your own kids? If you’re still a bit too young for that, what have you gained from your parents that you imagine you will pass on to your kids in the future?

It’s great to build awesome, loving families, but we’re ultimately one big, global family, deciding together how we want to live on this Earth. With that in mind, what is our ultimate purpose?

3. Stewardship

In God’s design, the individual lives for the sake of the family, the family lives for the nation, and the nation lives for the world. As strong and balanced peoples and families we can look at the bigger picture, use our creativity and take responsibility to care for and develop the world for the benefit of all.

Think of Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas—wise and caring, a guardian of all the creatures of the forest. Though it’s not likely we will become old, wrinkly trees, we can have that same heart of care for the whole world, developing goodness and prosperity on a large scale. And, just like the first two blessings, we’re never in it alone! The third blessing is meant for great minds working together to create the world of peace that God originally intended.

If you could do anything to impact the world and make it better, what would that be? Who would you call upon to be a part of your team?

As wonderful as this all sounds, life isn’t that simple. In reality we don’t fulfill the three blessings one at a time, but each are a lifelong journey in themselves. Even though we can envision these ideals we can’t seem to make them happen in our everyday lives. Think of your own life in the context of the three blessings. What do you see working really well in these three areas? In what ways could you improve? Make the three blessings a part of your everyday adventure!

Want to try sharing these concepts with others? Then check out the slideshow on the Insights page. That’s what it’s for.