© 2019 Simonas Jurgionis
© 2019 Urantia Foundation
By Simonas Jurgionis, Vilnius, Lithuania
All my life I have been interested in spirituality and my own personal search for truth. My journey has included various types of Buddhism, Hare Krishna, Catholicism, Shamanism, etc. In all of them, I found something that attracted me—something that I felt was true. But I also felt that something was missing in every one of them. The only thing I was certain of is that there must be some higher power that created us and this world, and that we are not some cosmic coincidence. The rest of the picture in my mind was a total mess, with bits and pieces from various religions and spiritual teachers.
Luckily for me, I had an advanced teacher (a PhD in philosophy) in my family. He has been very helpful as a guide in my spiritual search. He never directed me in any way, but just gave me advice about every topic in which I was interested at the time. He was a watcher and adviser of my journey.
In 2016, I saw The Urantia Book on his table. He said that if I wanted to know the truth, this is the book I should read. I bought it immediately, but it took me almost a year from that point to finish reading it. We Lithuanians are lucky to have it in our own language—otherwise it might be too challenging.
When I started to read The Urantia Book, I was both stunned and transformed. I had never felt so peaceful and sure. This was what I had been waiting for all my life! All my thoughts about myself, others, our planet, the cosmos, God, Jesus, and spirituality in general changed completely. I had never felt so grateful in my life. To be sure that you are a true child of God, who created this enormous universe, is something beyond words. How amazing to be sure—even though there is an unimaginably long journey in front of us—that at some point in eternity we will reach the shores of Paradise. These certainties started to change my life, and I still feel the impact of this book (or more precisely, the truth which I found within it) each and every day.
Being introduced to The Urantia Book is the best thing that has happened in my life. It totally changed my understanding of every possible aspect of life—not only spiritual ones but also concepts about my pursuits, family, values, etc. I believe that one day I will become a father, and by having these concepts I will be able to give much more to this child than I could without these teachings. The same could be said for my wife and my parents.
What an unbelievable adventure is in front of me (what most of us call life), and I am grateful for every opportunity and lesson. Also, I feel a huge responsibility as a cosmic citizen to be worthy of this gift and to do everything I can to help those who are not so lucky in their spiritual searches or everyday struggles. I am still very far from what I believe I can and must achieve. But knowing that a part of our Father lives within every one of us makes everything possible.