© 1994 Carol Hay
© 1994 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
| Significant Books: Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus J. Borg | Fall 1994 — Index | Psalms Today |
When I was a young woman I found myself facing a growing spiritual dissatisfaction that I could not find a way to resolve. Although I had a solid Christian background, I hungered for more. I needed something that would fill in the gaps in my personal religious experience and would realistically help me transfer my religious beliefs into religious living.
We have all heard the saying, “Be careful about what you’re praying for, because you might get it!” The truth of this saying hit home with me the day I opened The Urantia Book for the first time. Here was a book that expanded my knowledge of God, offered new information about the universe, and brought an exciting new dimension to my personal relationship with Jesus.
It’s difficult to explain all the ways in which The Urantia Book has changed my life. The information in its pages has given me inspiration for almost 20 years now. The book has affected me from the inside out, altering my view of reality in a way that could only be described as transformative.
The first thing that happened to me as I read the book was a startling shift in my perspective of our place in the cosmos. It was similar to the change which one would experience after finding out that he lived in the United States after only having been aware of the existence of his hometown. What a glorious universe home we live in! The expanded realization of God’s immense grandeur which I have learned from the book has enriched my worship experiences a thousandfold.
The Urantia Book’s descriptive account of our continuing existence beyond our brief sojourn on earth then expanded my perspective of time. Once I was able to embrace the concept of life in eternity, my earthly difficulties seemed to shrink into manageable challenges, and I have found that there are no problems in life which cannot be overcome.
But the most expansive change that has occurred in my life because of reading The Urantia Book has to do with the compelling narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Here, the book comes alive with the account of a human being whose eloquence in living and commitment to his Father’s will has answered every question I have about the way I want to live my life. The Jesus of The Urantia Book is neither a passive mystic nor a fated martyr, but a robust Godman who engages life to its fullest. The Jesus I find in The Urantia Book has timeless appeal that reaches out to me in my time and place, helping me recognize the spiritual presence of Jesus that permeates our world today. I have learned that true religion is a religion of the spirit and consists in the way our personal relationship with God inspires how we respond to the challenges of day to day living and shows us how we can aspire to raising the mundane aspects of our earthly existence to the level of true art as we express the Father’s love to others in our own lives.
The Urantia Book presents the opportunity to expand our perspective of the meaning of life and our purpose on this planet and beyond. But better still, it offers information that will expand our relationship with the incomparable personality of Jesus, inspiring new opportunities to experience the love of the Father.
Carol Hay, a long time student of The Urantia Book, speaks extensively to church groups on personal religious growth. She is also an editor of the Invisible Fellowship Magazine.
| Significant Books: Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus J. Borg | Fall 1994 — Index | Psalms Today |