The Words of In Jin Moon from 2010
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The Words of In Jin Moon from 2010 |
1) In Jin Nim greeted and welcomed everyone. She spoke about True Parents presence in America -- how much time True Father spends in the US -- trying to give his heart and love to this great country, America. He will be leaving tomorrow -- and she invited everyone to come to East Garden to see them off. She also mentioned that True Parents have been very busy, that this is an incredible time and that the Manhattan Center had the good fortune to celebrate with True Parents and brothers and sisters from around the world the World Congress.
2) She finds it interesting that the month of July, the month of America's independence, is also the month that True Mother first pushed the idea of Parents Day as a national holiday -- which was passed unanimously by both houses in 1994. True Parents are not just gracing the US with their words and presence, but they are actively changing the landscape of this great country -- making sure Parents Day would become a national holiday.
3) On Friday this past week the 16th Parents Day was celebrated at the Manhattan Center. It was a time for coming together, Ambassadors for Peace, our VIPs, Parents, and our youth. In Jin Nim was delighted to see the Japanese mothers led to the dance floor by their children. It moved her to see the Japanese sisters, the backbone of our movement, be honored by their own children.
4) As In Jin Nim watched the interplay between the generations and our community as it came together in the celebration of Parents Day, she thought "Our Heavenly Father must be pleased to have found a community that understands His heart." When God first created the universe, wanting to experience love through the children that He created, He/She waited -- like we all do as parents, to gaze upon this bundle of joy, expecting many great things from them. And we wait for the day that our children will grow up and become beautiful eternal sons and daughters -- awesome, successful, excellent adults, and for them to return the love that we have showered on them, that they give back the love and honor their parents.
5) True Parents have taught us who our Heavenly Parent is, our Father and Mother in Heaven. And True Parents have helped us, through the gift of the Blessing, to experience what a parental heart is all about. When In Jin Nim thinks about her parents, with 14 children, 7 sons and 7 daughters, she is sure that every time they gazed into the eyes of a new child they were so happy and elated, and at the same time prayerfully expecting great things from the child.
6) We know as parents -- Heavenly Father and Mother have a way of tricking us into having more babies -- when they are young they are so cute, charming, and adorable -- they can do no wrong. We do not think about them in their teen years when they want to try out different ideas and rebellions and lots of questioning to their parents. Our Heavenly Father created these little bundles of joy, so wonderful, we want to have many more, and before long we have 4, 5, 6 kids. In the beginning it's wonderful -- you just need to take care of their physical and emotional needs with warmth and care -- but later you realize their needs become more complicated, and we are not fully prepared to be that effective parent we would like to be.
7) When In Jin Nim canvassed the decades of the Unification Church experience / history, there are many wonderful points, but there are also lots of points that can be improved. As the senior pastor -- In Jin Nim is always thinking -- "How can we make it better?" How do we keep the 1st gen excited and renew the spark they had when they first joined? And, at the same time, how do we encourage the 2nd gen., born in the church, never having a conversion experience nor opening up to making a decision for their life of faith -- and help them grow into great members, sisters and brothers, and parents to beautiful children? These are questions In Jin Nim asks herself and struggles with everyday.
8) Whenever she asks herself these questions she always reminds herself to go back to the center, our True Parents. When you think and pray and reflect about our True Parents -- first and foremost you realize how precious they are. For the first time we have a man and a woman who have overcome the trials and tribulations and indemnified the things necessary for them to stand in the position of the perfected Adam and Eve and together as the True Parents inspire the world community to understand themselves as belonging to one family as eternal sons and daughters of God -- and to realize that we have a precious gift in our midst -- not just any regular people [our True Parents], but extraordinary, passionate people with an extraordinary message -- who are absolutely persistent and dedicated to their work every day.
9) Our True Parents, just like us, experience pain and difficulties -- and love and joy and celebration -- but what In Jin Nim has noticed as their daughter, is that they always concentrate on their health, not just their physical health, but their emotional and spiritual health as parents to their children.
10) From time to time True Mother has emphasized to her children -- "Life is difficult and being in the public eye you are hit with lots of different trials and tribulations that most people do not have to go through. So it is your responsibility to be responsible for your emotional, physical, and spiritual health."
11) In Jin Nim's mother encouraged them -- to not just keep their spiritual life healthy -- by prayer, reflection, and good works, but also their physical well being -- because your body is a heavenly vessel through which we can do many great works. She encouraged them to be physically and emotionally healthy as well. When In Jin Nim looks at her parents and all the things they are hit with -- they never waver, they are so consistent and persistent in their mission and in what they have to do.
12) In Jin Nim realized from a very young age, how seriously her father took his health. Some may think -- "Oh, Father is thinking about his physical body too much." But Father always told the True Children -- you have to take care of what God gave you, your body. You have to exercise, you have to eat right and maintain your health so that God can work through you and do great things.
13) When In Jin Nim thinks about her parents, and when she gazes into her children's eyes she realizes, in order to be a healthy parent, senior pastor, and mother she needs to be mindful of a few things. In Jin Nim then told a story about her experience traveling, sitting next to a big woman who was very friendly and animated. The woman wanted to tell In Jin Nim about a diet program that she was on -- she had been on it for a couple of weeks and had lost a lot of weight. She told In Jin Nim about eating a little bit of lemon juice and maple syrup and other nutritious foods. When she found out that In Jin Nim had had 5 children she asked her what program she was on. In Jin Nim told her she was not on a program -- but the woman insisted she must be on a program -- she looked too young to be the mother of 5 children -- where were her "handles"? She then showed In Jin Nim her program -- how vigorous it was and how much weight she had lost -- she told In Jin Nim that health was her new religion -- and that when she finished her program she was going to share it with as many people as she could. She went on to explain her program, the different foods she could and could not eat at different times -- and it all made In Jin Nim quite dizzy. In Jin Nim expressed her concern that she was losing weight too fast -- "was it healthy?" and then she asked the woman if it was a program she could continue the rest of her life? The woman then looked at In Jin Nim and said she only needs to pursue the program until she reaches her goal -- a size 8 -- then she can stop and take a break and eat what she likes, don't exercise, and sleep as long as she likes -- and if she starts to balloon -- she can go back onto the program. In Jin Nim then shared about her kids who were on a program called "Insanity" -- through which they had lost a lot of weight.
14) In Jin Nim shared about growing up in this country -- where she was continually bombarded with the message of how she must look, and be, and carry herself. She too had tried different programs. When you get to be her age you realize that these different programs -- like the Insanity Program -- might help you lose a few pounds, but it is called Insanity for a reason. You cannot maintain it for the rest of your life -- its intense, challenging, and you suffer through it, you feel good, and for some people this kind of a regiment makes them feel that they have accomplished something. She saw that in her children's eyes as they did the Insanity Program -- they could feel their body improving -- they have so much energy! These are all wonderful things -- but like this woman, who was like a serial dater -- but she was a serial programmer, going from one to another, from one diet to another. She had tried everything -- she wanted the right program for her life, that would change her life, give her happiness, and give her the emotional and spiritual sense of being a healthy person.
15) But one thing In Jin Nim noticed is that many times the hunger we deal with is not physical hunger -- we sometimes eat because we are emotionally or spiritually starved and we don't know how to fill the void or satisfy the hunger. That is why people reach for the candy bar, the cookies. What they are seeking is not food, but spiritual well being that comes through understanding God and that they are God's children, divine beings with a special purpose in their lives. This hunger that we fight with every day is not always physical -- and that is why these diet programs never really work.
16) When different people in the world come across our community and our children they respond to us -- "your community looks so beautiful -- your people look 10 years younger than they really are!" When In Jin Nim tells people the age of our members, such as Rev Cotter (she did not want to say the number, but he is quite old) they think he is in his 40s. They also think In Jin Nim is much younger than she is. And when people look at Rev. Rendell they say there is no way he is 60 years old, at the most 50. The 10 years get knocked off because we understand who we are, God's eternal sons and daughters, and that we need to satisfy not just physical hunger but the emotional and spiritual hunger which can only be satisfied with our relationship with our Parent in Heaven and with our True Parents on the earth.
17) When the woman asked In Jin Nim about her program, In Jin Nim answered she is not on a program -- she is on a life-style. It is not the diet program that keeps us healthy, but the life-style that we choose for ourselves that helps keep us healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
18) In Jin Nim always thought the word health is interesting. And one thing about our community is that we have elements from the East and the West. In the case of Rev Sudo's expression "True Love" which becomes "True Rub" -- it is through that articulation that In Jin Nim came to realize that true love means truly practicing and applying true love by rubbing up against her eternal relationships, her family relationships. Once you are born into a family, it doesn't matter who goes to spiritual world first, your relationships are eternal. When In Jin Nim hears Rev Sudo say "True Rub" it is a reminder for In Jin Nim to rub up against her parents, her siblings, and her children in order to become as bigger and deeper as she can be.
19) When you say the word "health" -- many times the Japanese sisters are trying new healthy foods -- it sounds like "hells-food" and it sometimes it really tasted like "hells food." The word health means the soundness of the body, the condition of the body and mind -- or how we are in terms of our physical well being. But when you hear that word through the Japanese tongue, and you hear health as "hells-" you realize that depending on your life-style choice it can be something wonderful in that it is healthy, maintain the soundness of your constitution and condition of your body and mind in wonderful working order, but if we choose the wrong kind of life-style it will be like hell.
20) This made In Jin Nim realize, when she looks at the example of her father and mother, that they take everything so seriously in their life. When her father starts a meal with a prayer, he makes sure every dish of food on the table is touched. He gives thanks for all the platters of vegetables on the table. He is so meticulous about being grateful. And he is so meticulous about never going a day without doing his daily exercises. The first thing he does when he gets up, every day without fail, is his stretching exercises, 30 minutes, sometimes for an hour, everyday for over 90 years.
21) When In Jin Nim sees that kind of discipline, she realized her father is exercising a couple of principles in his daily life, that awards him a certain life-style, that allows him to be emotionally, spiritually, and physically healthy. Unlike this woman, the serial dieter, her father takes responsibility for his constitution, for where he is in life -- whereas this woman did not want to take responsibility. She told In Jin Nim how she came from a family or lineage of obese people and that is why she is obese. There is an acceptance that she will be big. She is not taking responsibility, but is looking for quick fixes here and there. She was giving In Jin Nim reasons why each diet did not work, there was always someone whom she blamed -- it might have been her friend who brought over some baked goods and ice cream she could not resist, or her duties as a mother and therefore her children's fault, but more importantly -- she said over and over again that it was her spouse who would say discouraging things which caused her to always fall short. By shifting blame on everyone else she never took responsibility for her own health, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. She was so busy making excuses why she could not successfully complete the programs. She was always talking about when she becomes that size 8 -- then she will be a wonderful wife, mother, and friend, but while she is on the program her friends must put up with her bitchiness, her irritability. She was so focused on where she wanted to go, her destination in life (size 8 wardrobe) she was forgetting to enjoy the process, enjoy life, and focus on the actual journey she was taking as a human being to reach her destination -- size 8. She was so fixated on her goal she was not happy, she was irritable and always complaining about somebody or someone, because it would be a long while before she got there -- and she told herself that she had a legitimate reason as to why she did not have to enjoy her life or the eternal relationships in her family, why she did not have to be grateful for her life.
22) This kind of an attitude, the inability to enjoy the process, to enjoy the journey that we are on reminded In Jin Nim of a quote in the Bible -- "do not conform to the patterns of this world." The Bible is asking us to be true to ourselves, to stop trying to think that the size 8 or a wonderful car or wonderful house will make us happy. Because we cannot concentrate on what we have now -- a working process of a group of people who are rubbing up against in a form of children, a spouse, or a colleague or friend.
23) When we cannot enjoy the process or the journey then we forget to keep our humor. One of the things In Jin Nim notices about Father and Mother is that no matter where they are in life, Father could be sitting in Danbury Prison, inspiring, encouraging, imploring us to work harder and try our best, but most of the time he spent cracking jokes. You have to look at this man, sitting, unjustly in prison, and here he is keeping up the humor -- not forgetting to laugh. That is something that In Jin Nim realized is the key to survival in her family, in the True Family, and in her job as senior pastor.
24) When you are in a public role or position so many things come at you all at once. You can never do right and you can never do wrong in what you are doing, so even though there are people who are happy you are making the changes you are making, there are always complaints and criticism. In dealing with constant criticism, analysis, back-talking and gossiping -- these things will wear you down! In Jin Nim is sure it wore her Father and Mother down. It must have been excruciatingly difficult to be the True Parents of humankind -- with people looking at you saying "you are not good enough. Why are you the True Parents? Why are the True Parents like this and not like that, why don't you do more of this and more of that? Why don't you fix this and take care of this?" Very rarely do True Parents get a simple thank you from a lot of us.
25) When In Jin Nim became a mother -- she realized that what we as parents want from our children is to receive the love we have given to them, coming back freely and voluntarily. In Jin Nim realized the importance of keeping a smile on her face, thanking Father and Mother, whether they are angry with her or happy with her -- always thanking them. Because, whether they are angry or happy you can always learn something.
26) Instead of being like the dieter who wanted to shift blame onto different people, if God wants to be angry with you -- all right, maybe God had a rough day -- "Bring it on God! I will still love you, honor you, and follow you. And if you want to share your love with me -- I would gladly welcome that with open arms."
27) Being in a leadership position like True Parents you realize how incredibly important it is for True Father to constantly be laughing. And he pokes fun and laughs at himself all of the time. He laughs about his children, poking fun at them all the time. He laughs about the leaders and pokes fun at the leaders, keeping his humor alive.
28) When Proverb says (17:22) "keep a cheerful heart, a cheerful heart is good medicine." Cheerful heart, being able to laugh, to invite humor into our lives is a wonderful thing, its good medicine for life and for all the difficult things we deal with at different levels of our human experience.
29) When In Jin Nim thinks of True Parents and how things are always changing, her Father has been in and out of prison over 6 times, he is over 90 years of age, he started out in North Korea, he has been through the Korean War, he went abroad to study at Waseda University in Japan, he went to South Korea to start his ministry, then he came to America, and then went all around the world establishing our movement in each of the different countries. Her father is a man who has seen many many changes, he has experienced so many sudden changes -- but the way he remained healthy -- spiritually, physically, and emotionally is by remembering who he is -- that eternal son of our Heavenly Parent, and to be responsible for all the things around him.
30) In Jin Nim described one of the times when she was moved in her life by her younger brother Heung Jin Nim. She and her siblings were making a lot of ruckus in the kitchen as they were preparing something and they broke a cup of fine china that there mother had prepared for a special celebration. They all partook in the gaiety, but when it came down to the moment when they were confronted by their mother "Who did this?" the immature thing to do was to say "he or she did it, or they did it." But all of them stood quite -- and then what happened was one of the most inspiring moments for In Jin Nim, her younger brother stepped forward, like a representative of everyone, and said "Mother, I did it. It was my fault and I am so sorry." This younger brother took responsibility for everyone else's problem, and that is what our True Father does over and over and over again. He takes responsibility for all of humanity and as that True Father, he struggles and plows on, at the same time empowering us, imploring and encouraging us to do great, because he wants to be responsible.
31) We as the children, how wonderful would it be if we stopped going "he did it, she did it, they did it." and started taking responsibility for things we can touch, change, and be responsible for. When a leader of a department has a problem where an intern makes a mistake -- there is nothing more heartwarming for In Jin Nim as someone who is running HSA, than to see the department head take full responsibility and apologies on his team's behalf. There is a certain sense of nobility and dignity in a person willing to own-up and be responsible for the things that they can influence. This is something our True Father has done consistently -- he has always taken responsibility.
32) And in the midst of all the sudden changes that have taken place these last 2 years, so much confusion in our church, so much that is being said, so many things are being thrown at different people -- but what Father does is he focuses on the journey at hand. Of course he has an eye on where he needs to go and be, but he is here, enjoying the process with us each and every day.
33) Just as we appreciate how valuable they are to us, we need to know that our True Parents look upon each and everyone of us as there special precious children. When Father comes to spend time with us at Hoon Dok Hae, he is not interested in his children, he wants to see his babies, his brothers and sisters. In a way that is the way he has been for 90 years, he wants to enjoy the process with each and everyone of us. No matter where he is he makes us cry and laugh, he shares in our celebrations and suffering, but he never, never forgets to keep good humor.
34) This morning when Father spoke at Hoon Dok Hae he spent time sharing a speech he gave in 1960. It spoke about the suffering course of Jesus Christ. It reminded In Jin Nim why Father is determined to love life. When you see or study about Jesus' life and the fact that he had to go the way of the cross -- because people did not believe in him and his disciples turned against him in that crucial hour when he was left alone, and when we realize that he never had a chance to find that beautiful wife and to experience the parental heart by having beautiful children of his own, we realize why our True Father and True Mother are so determined to love life, to celebrate life, to live with a cheerful heart, because what Jesus did not have, as that lonely figure in human history, is something that Father does not want us to experience, what our True Parents want us to experience is the completed picture, the beautiful picture of a family that Jesus never had a chance to experience.
35) When we realize that we do have that chance to experience that most rewarding, and at the same time most difficult experience of becoming a parent, we realize -- as at the Parents Day celebration, that we are given the chance to experience something incredibly profound, historical, and monumental.
36) This is not a time when we should be worried, nitpicking, criticizing each other, this should be a time when we are asking the very questions -- "In the position or responsibility that I have been given, am I doing my best? Am I performing to the best of my abilities? And if not, how can I do better? How can I meditate and pray about it, so that I can do better and make the people around me better human beings?"
37) Our musical director in the band shared a story with In Jin Nim. He wanted to be a great Jazz guitar player. There were these great Jazz artists that he revered -- and he had the chance to play with one of them. When they were practicing and performed together -- Joe realized how great this player was -- there was no ego, no "I have a PhD and I know everything and you know nothing." There was no sense "I know better than you" Because, when we are talking about music, its the universal language which, like love, everyone has the capacity to understand, experience, and create it, because we are all divine. And this Jazz player turned to Joe -- and said something we need to think about as a community -- he said "the whole point of playing together, of being on a team, in a band, is to make everybody sound better than you." That is how you get a phenomenal band, a team, and a phenomenal movement.
38) If everyone of us sitting in the auditorium is truly thinking about truly applying this principle, not just studying, reading, or conceptually titillating our minds with this "live for the sake of others" philosophy, but really applying it and practicing it in our daily lives -- it comes down to that simple understanding -- nugget of wisdom, that this iconic Jazz player shared with Joe -- our job as a great musician is to make the others sound better.
39) Our job as a movement is to make each other sound, and be better. It is our job, and In Jin Nim's job as senior pastor, to make sure all of us are better than her. That is how she will know she is doing a good job -- when the 2nd and 3rd and 1st generation get more fired up and better than her. If we can look at each other with that kind of an eye -- of wanting the best, wishing the best for others, wanting everybody to be better than us -- that will be the Kingdom of Heaven, don't you think!
40) This year, the year of the Tiger, we have many things taking place. Soon her younger brother, our International President, will be taking a world tour, traveling to Europe. He was just in Nepal, meeting with dignitaries. Our movement is making a profound impact wherever we go.
41) As we grow, if we can just maintain this philosophy of living for the sake of others and of wanting to make the other person better than us, by really practicing a couple of things -- by being responsible for our selves, focusing on the journey and the process and enjoying and being grateful for the process, and keeping a sense of humor and at the same time realizing how incredibly blessed we are -- then there is no limit to what we can accomplish as a community.
42) Just as here at Lovin' Life In Jin Nim is always trying to up the level in terms of the production and performance and unity, and bring the team spirit here -- keeping it alive and well, if we as a movement can look at ourselves as something worthy of wanting and wishing upon the other to be better than ourselves -- then it will really be a wonderful, wonderful world after all.
43) In Jin Nim expressed again how wonderful it is to have True Parents here for this time period and she encouraged us all to be there at East Garden the next morning for Hoon Dok Hae before they leave the country.
44) Have a wonderful Sunday! Thank you!