Wednesday, August 3, 2011

THE GREATEST HUNGER

"The greatest hunger in life is not for food, money, success, status, security, sex or even love from the opposite sex.  Time and again people have achieved all of these things and wound up still feeling dissatisfied -- indeed, often more dissatisfied than when they began.  The deepest hunger in life is a secret that is revealed only when a person is willing to unlock a hidden part of the self.  In the ancient traditions of wisdom, this quest has been likened to diving for the most precious pearl in existence, a poetic way of saying that you have to swim far out beyond shallow waters, plunge deep into yourself, search patiently until the pearl beyond price is found.

"The pearl is also called essence, the breath of God, the water of life, holy nectar -- labels for what we, in our more prosaic scientific age, would simply call transformation.  Transformation means radical change of form, the way a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.  In human terms, it means turning fear, aggression, doubt, insecurity, hatred, and emptiness into their opposites.  Can this really be achieved?  One thing we know for certain:  The secret hunger that gnaws at poeple's souls has nothing to do with externals like money, status, and security.  It's the inner person who craves meaning in life, the end of suffering, and answers to the riddles of love, death, God, the soul, good and evil.  A life spent on the surface will never answer these questions or satisfy the needs that drive us to ask them."

-written by Deepak Chopra

One of the greatest Tender Mercies provided by a loving Heavenly Father is the knowledge that we are divine.  We are sons and daughters of diety.  We know that we existed before we were born on this earth.  We know that we came here to obtain bodies and to learn and grow.  We have been given agency to choose.  We know that when we die that there is continued life.  The purpose of life and the Plan of Salvation give us hope.  We know the meaning in life.  We can find peace in the face of suffering and trials.  We understand the mysteries of love, death, God, the soul, good and evil.

There are many in this world who hunger b ecause they have not been introduced to the gospel.  There are many who have no hope and who can not find peace because they don't know of the divine Plan of Salvation.

There are others who have been taught and have forgotten or have fallen away.  They hunger and thirst.

We need to share what we know so that peace and hope can spread.  We can offer solace and refuge to the broken heart by sharing the gospel.