Let Us Grow Our Roots

On the morning of March 4, 2015, True Mother gave a message at the Foundation Day Celebratory Banquet. Many international leaders gathering in Korea for the 2015 Cheon Il Guk Leaders’ Assembly attended. Below is her beautiful message ushering in the year of the sheep with a call to grow our roots and become humble leaders doing God’s work.

This is the third year of Cheon Il Guk (God’s Kingdom). Heaven has blessed us, and we felt that when it snowed yesterday. This was heaven’s blessing; weren’t you happy? However, please be careful in this weather.

Yesterday I spoke about the olive tree. Many people were not here for that, so I will share the story once more. When we think of olive trees, we think about the Middle East, don’t we? The Middle East is a desert area. Then how is it possible that, in the Bible, the Israelites left Egypt to go to the land of milk and honey? They expressed Canaan as their holy land of milk and honey, but when they got there it was actually quite a barren land. When True Father and I went to Israel together—in 1968 I believe—within four hours we visited the entire country. I compared it to our country of Korea, a land filled with mountains lakes, and it’s beautiful. Israel is quite barren, and there isn’t that much to see. It is filled with rocks and sand, however even this has been the center of God’s providence.

We know the history of the Providence that unfolded from all these stories in the Bible, including the story of the true olive tree and the false olive tree. How is it possible in this barren, harsh environment that the olive tree can plant its roots and survive for more than a thousand years? How is this possible? In order for the olive tree to survive in this barren environment, the tree puts in a lot of effort to grow its roots so deep. When this tree grows, its roots take 15 years to grow deep into the earth to the level where it can reach the water, and even then, if it doesn’t reach the water the roots have to grow even deeper. It doesn’t take one year; it takes 15 years.

The olive tree is a truly exceptional tree, and this is why when it has its leaves and bears its fruits, it is so precious. The olive is considered a well-being food; it is a healthy food. In the Middle East, people use olives in many of their dishes, and this is why we can see in many medical studies that these people are quite healthy. I am sure that even without telling you the benefits of olive oil, you know there are not so many trees as exceptional as the olive tree.

The olive tree is really a case in point: how do our “roots” look today? Through the True Parents you received the Holy Marriage Blessing and became Blessed families. Not so long ago, when I was in Hawaii, a couple from the 1800-couples’ Marriage Blessing came to see me. They told me that it has been 40 years since they received the Marriage Blessing. Many Blessed families received the Marriage Blessing 30, 40, or 50 years ago, and they have deep, healthy roots. I want to ask all Blessed families, beginning with the 36 and 72 couples, do you have roots so deep that you can really promise to build the future and take care of that future? You really need to repent when you think about this. We live in a new historical era and we need to be different. From now on please reflect on: Who am I? What did I take responsibility for? What did I do? “What position am I in?” is not important. We need to focus on, “Where should we go?” To reach that destination while we are on this Earth, what responsibilities did we fulfill? What did we accomplish? And what did I do to prepare my future generations? What did I do for my second, third, and fourth generations? What clear foundation did I build? This is very important, isn’t it?

From this point of view, leaders need to be specific, efficient and need to show the result. In other words, each one of you needs to establish a clear system. You need to plan. Please be specific, and please make an effort. Thinking, “Today is enough. Tomorrow will be enough,” is not the right attitude. With that attitude, we cannot enter into the era of Cheon Il Guk together with True Parents, and we cannot be the people who lived with True Parents in the Cheon Il Guk Era. Think about your report card in the eternal world. What will your descendants think about your legacy? They may think, “They lived in the same environment with True Parents; why did they only achieve this much?” Please become people in the year of 2015, the year of the sheep, with no remorse and no regret.

The sheep, if you look in the Bible, is referenced several times. The sheep is used often as an offering. What does this mean? It means that humans are very grateful for the sheep. The sheep offers everything, even its wool. There’s nothing in the sheep that is lost or discarded. Lamb meat is one of the best meats. Some people may not eat beef, but lamb is suitable for anybody. It’s also considered a well-being food, a healthy food.

When the sheep becomes an offering, it doesn’t fight. Even when you’re cutting its throat, it doesn’t cry; it’s obedient. Please, learn from the example of the sheep. Let us not become people who weren’t able to do or give more than even this animal. Among many leaders and those responsible, it’s good to have passion, but when you have too much passion it becomes personal desire and ambition. People ascending to the top need to learn how to come down humbly, but so many people are not capable of doing that. I hope leaders can learn how to come down from their positions like the sheep.

Heaven is blessing you and giving you this beautiful, green, vibrant year of the sheep. What does this mean? Nature is clean and it’s crystal clear, this is how our lives should be. This is why this year is a very special year. I can only say, it is a very special year. And during this special year, you’re all special people. You are very precious people and precious families. This is my blessing to you.