Once you decide on a grand purpose, the biggest problem is how to overcome the hardship of holding to the time and process to achieve the purpose. The most important point is how to maintain the momentum around the purpose in our daily existence. It is possible for us to individually overcome some of the hardships, but when the energy runs out we face corruption, disappointments, defeatism which cause failure. Therefore we must have a certain stimulus in our daily life that brings us gladness and idealism. In our multi-directional life, a positive stimulus is imperative. (66-38)

Some of you are agreeing with me but actually shaking your heads inside. This is why your character is important. In your journey as a believer, to conquer oneself is more difficult than to conquer the world. Viewed this way, our first cross to bear is conquering ourselves. (46-95)

A believer must overcome great calamities. Believing is overcoming. It is like dying in the process of overcoming difficulties. We say, Sacrifice, Serve, and don't even raise your head about it. So that those who want to live will die and those who want to die shall live, and in the process of overcoming difficulties if one is ready to die, one finds that the great calamities are overcome. This is the important lesson in solution-finding for all ignorant people. Religions have been teaching this secret for ages. (47-119)

People tend to think that when the Messiah comes their own nation will be in glory and they will be in hog heaven. The sad bitter history of Israel shows that people vanish if they don't think about the whole of humanity. That's why in our journey we cannot triumph without overcoming hardships. Then with what do we overcome? We cannot overcome anything with tricks or talents. Only with a sincere heart. Therefore, the final weapon is always how much you love God, how much you long for him, how much you feel his grace and love, and how much you have been upholding the father-son bloodlines. (42-228)

1) Give Thanks for All Things

We must thank God for everything he has done for us and also for the 95 percent of the mission that is yet to be accomplished for the world. What is the basic purpose of religious life? To give thanks to God. This is the basis upon which the fall of man can be overcome so that our unity with God can be re-established. Am I going to give thanks only for the favors that I've received? Of course not. God's work for us does not always show itself in favors. He is with us through thick and thin. We must thank God not only for the favors but also for the hardships in our fight for restoration. Thus, we must understand that the weight of the cross must be viewed as part of his favors for which we give thanks. (29-338)

Then, how should we give thanks? Aren't there many others less fortunate than myself? We must look at those people, not those better off than we are. We must be thankful, saying, "I am a member of the Unification Church in a death struggle for our belief in and knowledge of God, but how many people don't know about God or the Church? I am so fortunate!" We must sing praise to Him at all times. God will shed his tears in response to our hymns of thanks in the midst of our struggles. When we cannot really go one step farther, God comes along and blesses us by saying, "You, my son, you don't need to endure any longer." As we endure our journey in hymns of thanksgiving, God tearfully says, "Where else can I find a son like you? I will now let somebody else carry on for you." Then he gives us a place of rest and heavenly rewards from his heavenly father's heart. Do you understand? That's why we must give praise and thanks.

You know the fable about old woman Jung? She said thanks for everything, even for the whipping she took, for all the bad luck of her life, for the hardship she received from her mother-in-law, even when she lost her daughter and her husband. She just kept saying thanks for everything (laughter).

All truthful thanksgiving. That's the only correct way. All truthful thanksgiving. You must give thanks and praise. Even when your wife snarls at you in the morning and you and your wife have a screaming match, you should say, "Thank you, God, for my family member's anger." (laughter) Try it that way. Try it three times. Wait for ten minutes and say to the other person, "Do it your way, I don't understand it at all," then it gives a new positive stimulus to the relationship.

So everyone in town called the old woman Jung "the thanksgiver." She became quite famous as a great educational institution in Korea. Don't you think? We must be thankful that we have such an institution amid all the hardships we endured after liberation. It means we are getting closer to God's blessings. That shows that Koreans are destined to survive. For this we should give thanks and praise. Then, should we just keep thanking and praising? No, that's not it. What should we do next? Mutual aid is what we do next, giving aid to others and receiving help from others. Together we live and work. This is when unification will occur. Do you understand? Unification comes when we depend on one another and help one another. The kingdom of God comes this way. (44-29)

Like old woman Jung, thanksgiving is the right thing to do. One who gives thanks cannot be destroyed. Satan has to run away from that person. Even if Satan tries to invade, we must thank God, saying, "This is the indemnity that he wants me to remit." Satan will have to give up with this type of thanksgiver. But if we don't give thanks, Satan will never leave us alone. (34-138)

If you sacrifice yourself for the world, there is no shame in your lowly state of being, even looking like a beggar. We Unificationists must appreciate even a bread and water diet as if it were a five-course meal, and give thanks. The more you give thanks, the higher your esteem in the eyes of all that is wonderful in heaven. Do you understand this? "Yes." (61-210)