Omnipresent

The omnipresence of God is something that has fascinated us since the beginning of human history. When we think about the vastness of God’s nature while trying to build a personal relationship with our Heavenly Parent, we are confronted with many questions: How can a being be infinite and everywhere, but also uniquely involved with each individual in the present? How does my relationship to God, and to others, factor in to all of this?We are told in Matthew 5:48, that we should be perfect as our Heavenly Parent is perfect. If we are supposed to resemble the omnipresent God, does that mean we should try to be everywhere at once, in everybody’s business, and literally be perfect? That’s a tall order, and it might make us pretty unpopular.In various speeches throughout his life, Father Moon described God’s eternal characteristics and offered some enlightening thoughts on the concept of God as an omnipresent and omniscient being. He also gave us some practical steps on how we can emulate these traits.God’s Heart Can Be Found Everywhere“God’s heart is found not only in God’s word but also in all things He created. In heaven and earth, God’s heart is everywhere,” (Divine Principle, 79).It’s no surprise that people often say they feel God in nature. Because God created the entire world, His and Her essence can be seen in all of Creation. Just like a painting is indelibly connected to its artist, the whole natural universe is a reflection of God’s character. In this way, God is always present.Shouldn’t we, then, have the opportunity to connect to God wherever we are? As Father Moon says, “The one whose heart sings eternally even at the sight of a flying bird or a fragrant flower does not dwell among all things of Creation but, rather, within God’s heart.”The Heart of a ParentWho is God to human beings? If God were simply a creator and ruler, His and Her all-knowing, all-seeing powers would seem harder to grasp. However, if we think of God as a parent, we can begin to understand this ability to cut across time and space.“It is the parent’s heart of love toward their children that makes omnipresence reasonable and possible. It is a heart that reaches beyond ultimate extremes,” (79) says Father Moon.As parents, our love does not exist only when our children are present. It exists no matter how far away they may be. It goes beyond years, beyond distance, beyond even death. We love our children infinitely and intimately. Parents have an all-encompassing love for all their children, but also a unique relationship and love for each child individually.Alive in the Natural WorldThe three traits that were arguably most used by Father Moon to describe God are “unique,” “unchanging” and “eternal.” These are qualities that, when exhibited in nature, make a substance precious. And if we find God in nature, can’t we learn from God through nature? Father Moon often discusses the nature of diamonds, pearls and gold, and asks us to reflect on why we value them so much.“A diamond is so hard that nothing can corrupt it; thus it has the special nature of being unchanging,” he says. “A pearl’s elegant sheen never changes for thousands or tens of thousands of years; nothing can compare to it. Why is gold so great? Its golden luster never changes, even for thousands of years. Nothing can surpass that color.”According to Father Moon, we can learn through the qualities of gold, diamonds and pearls. He asks us, when we wear diamonds and pearls, do we feel like we deserve to wear them? Do we think of them as our teachers? The true value of a person, he says, is their inner self and heart—so how can we imitate these precious metals?Diamond-like PurityThe incorruptible nature of the diamond is what draws people to it. No matter what it is put through, its essence stays the same. The lesson here is to strive to keep a childlike sense of wonder at the world, and trust in people. No matter how much we are hurt, our commitment to love others should not waver.Harmony of PearlsPearls are beautiful because they match with everything. Father Moon encourages us to learn from pearls, to harmonize with our surroundings, our neighbors and so forth. The person who is harmonious like a pearl can embrace the world and bring peace.Golden TruthGold is genuine; it has absolutely no falseness, Father Moon says. Inside and out, its quality is the same, and its color does not change. We can emulate this by sticking to our values and beliefs and by making sure that our words and our actions match. When we say that we are going to wash the dishes, we really mean it—and we follow through on our declaration.The Unique, Unchanging, Eternal YOU“If you were confident of possessing the qualities of jewels, you could sit quietly on a dark mountain top and shine, just as a diamond shines at night as well as by day.”Father Moon’s timeless words remind us that there are ways to emulate God’s heart and unchanging nature by looking at the world around us, elusively vast and infinite like our Heavenly Parent. We see God’s nature in the beauty around us: in the heart of our parents, the sight of a bird or the sparkle of a raindrop.Take a second to breathe in the infinitely beautiful qualities in the objects and people around you. If God is all around us, just like nature, then reconciling our personal relationship with God is not so complicated. It’s pretty similar to being awestruck by an incredible view, or turning our attention to a flower at our feet and really appreciating its delicate details. Both are beautiful, and both are part of our experience of nature and our experience with God.