It’s the middle of the night. You let out a deep sigh as a lonesome tear rolls down your cheek. “Why did I even decide to do this?” sniffling, you ask yourself.
You feel exhausted, worn out and daunted by the pressure of the lofty goal ahead of you. Can you do it? Can you accomplish what your heart is calling you to do?
I understand. I’ve been there. We all have.
As I went through the journey of figuring out the creation and official establishment of a new CARP chapter at Princeton University, my college, I had many such nights.
I asked myself why I had chosen to go about the task in the first place, questioned why I even let people know of my intentions, wondered whether I could do it all before I graduated…
I could go on and on about the barrage of negative thoughts and doubts that filled my mind and how “grueling” the whole process was but no. I choose not to. Instead, I choose to share the valuable lessons that I learned along the way and hopefully, hopefully, they will also help you along your path.
Returning to Your First Promise
Remember the voices we were just talking about? Those negative ones that wouldn’t relent? Well, there’s a way to quiet them. To still them. To control them.
See friend, when that snake-like thought that seeks to steal your solace comes slithering, don’t meet it head on just yet. Instead, pause, turn around and run back to your first promise.
And when you get there, remember your “why”.
I did.
As clear as day…
Hands on my knees, I faced the altar before me, hot tears streaming down my face. I had just made a promise, no, a wager with the Most High.
“If you let me get into college and go through it, I will offer my campus to you,” I said.
“I will establish a CARP chapter there if it’s the last thing I do,” I offered my determination to Heaven.
It was a crazy idea, spurred on by the words of beloved Father Moon that I had read before: “Take care of your university and I’ll be responsible for the world.”
I felt he was talking directly to me, and so, like a filial child, I listened. Listened and hoped.
Some time later, I received an acceptance letter from Princeton University and I remembered my promise. Heaven had listened to my prayer and fulfilled its part. Now it was my turn to hold up my end of the bargain.
Yujin proudly holds her home country Kenya’s flag.
I would be traveling thousands of miles away from my home country Kenya to study in a foreign land. Truth was, I didn’t know a thing about what CARP looked like there and whether it even existed. But I had made a solemn vow and I intended to fulfill it if it was the last thing I did…
And so friend, whenever I wondered what to do; whether it was how to write a club constitution, where to get enough people to sign my club interest form, or on cold autumn nights when I walked around the campus and prayed for it, I remembered my promise. And slowly, gradually, as I re-determined myself, that sly serpent backed away from me and up ahead I could see the substantial realization of my goal just a stone’s throw away.
The Power of One
There’s an old Swahili adage that goes “Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa” which translates to “One finger cannot kill a louse…”
It is a saying that reminds us of the power of unity and the need for cooperation and collaboration for even the smallest things. Success, it suggests, cannot be accomplished alone.
It’s a wonderful teaching, certainly. But sometimes on our journey, we feel alone because we simply just ARE.
What do we do in times like that? In times when we look around our campuses and it seems like no one else shares the same values, moral standards, passions, or ideals; times when we are bombarded with persecution for holding a different set of beliefs; times when friends shun us for being “strange”?
I can only tell you what I did.
I thought of Father Moon who, at the tender age of 16, received the incredible call from our Lord Jesus to continue God’s mission to bring World Peace.
I thought of the incredibly lonely path that he and his wife, Mother Moon, walked as they fought to pry this world from the grip of evil and sin and restore it into a world of peace and goodness on behalf of God;
I thought of all the trials and tribulations they encountered, the persecution and the ridicule, the false imprisonments and the slander, the misunderstandings and the criticisms, all for upholding the Will and Word of God;
I thought of the countless victories they achieved in spite of it all, the love they demonstrated towards even the vilest of their opponents, the life-changing truth shared across the world through the Divine Principle, the numerous peace organizations formed worldwide (including CARP!), and all the couples across the globe they gave the Marriage Blessing through their ministry, and now working to realize a vision of world peace through ideal families;
I thought of all that and as I did, it dawned on me that had Father Moon at 16, regarded himself as but a lowly child in the then war-depraved country of Korea who could do nothing to change the world, then he would have never accomplished all the great things that he did, and you and I both would certainly not be having this conversation.
And so friend, in reality, Heaven really only ever calls one person because that is all Heaven needs.
Though you are “alone,” as long as you heed the call and pledge to remain loyal through every trial, sincerely and passionately going forward to pave the way of righteousness for those that will come after you, all of Heaven will be with you.
The Way Prepared
I know what you might be thinking
That’s inspiring, yes. But the thing is, Heaven is “up there” while I’m “down here” in the physical world dealing with AcTuAl problems.
I hear you.
But here’s one last thing I learned that you need to know.
Heaven will never set you before a path unprepared. NEVER.
When I started out, I thought I was the only one on campus with a Unificationist background who was familiar with the teachings of the Divine Principle. But somehow in the first week of being at Princeton, I met Yoo Shin Tanai , another young Unificationist. We happened to be attending the same small group orientation program during our freshman year orientation. There were countless programs for the ~1,300 undergrads to choose from and somehow he and I ended up in the same one.
Coincidence? I think NOT. More like Heaven’s guidance.
Together, Yoo Shin and I began working towards establishing a CARP chapter on our campus but before we knew it, COVID-19 broke out in the spring semester of our freshmen year and everyone got sent home.
However, even under those unfortunate circumstances, we happened to learn about and got to meet people from the Unificationist community who either lived in Princeton and/or were alumni affiliated with the university. We were surprised by how many there were and overwhelmed by their desire to support us through our process.
Most, if not all, had experience with CARP or leading small groups of faith. They shared incredible insights, advice, and resources to help us out.
In the end, were we really alone? NO. There were already people prepared to help us—and more and more certainly showed up along the way.
Friend, if I begin recounting the number of times we sat down and thought “wow, we thought this was going to be impossible but somehow it all worked out,” you and I will be here for quite a long time.
Yujin giving a talk at a CARP Café event.
So to make a long story short, heed the call in your heart. And as you go forth, you will be in awe as to how much has already been prepared for you to succeed. When you encounter difficulty and are tempted to give up, remember your first promise and you will find within you the strength to continue.
Have a great one.