© 2023 Sue Snider Seccombe
© 2023 The Urantia Book Fellowship
¶ GPS: Our God Positioning System
by Sue Snider Seccombe
We are made with a built-in homing device that, if we don’t keep pushing the override button, will unfailingly point us toward true north.
The spiritual-gravity pull of the Eternal Son constitutes the inherent secret of the Paradise ascension of surviving human souls. . . . The spirit-gravity circuit literally pulls the soul of man Paradiseward. (UB 7:3.2)
Partnership with God is irresistible. We innately hunger to be in step with the divine plan. Our GPS, especially on Urantia, is often “recalculating.”
To deny this pull feels like swimming against the current of a mighty river, so I’ve been on a unity soapbox for quite some time. “Unity not uniformity” feels like that mighty river to me . . . a perfected wholeness, seeming almost impossible in its all-inclusiveness. I am grateful for the many contributors to this issue who have stated these facts with such eloquence.
Unity, with its complement, diversity, are fundamental and steadying principles woven into the very fabric of all of creation. God takes what would otherwise be a cacophony of discord and disagreement and offers us (and the whole universe) symphonic harmoniesevery force, every instrument, each unique personality, can participate fully in God’s plan, a safe and stable backdrop against which each harmonic signature can be revealed for exactly what it is, and was created to be. We must trust the maestro.
I encourage all who feel the Paradise pull to actively reflect the fundamental truths about unity and diversity in all we do-to include all, while raising the standard of what it means to work together as we are about the Father’s business.
¶ The Beauty in Unity
Often I have heard members in our community say they are in favor of spiritual unity, not uniformity. I think we can all agree on this one—none of us is in favor of spiritual, or even organizational, uniformity. A picture comes to mind of vapid clones, or walking chatbots devoid of personality and original thought . . . quite the opposite of the endlessly diverse life forms and personalities we are sure to continue to encounter all the way to Paradise. Diversity is as fundamental to creation as unity.
Philosophy you somewhat grasp, and divinity you comprehend in worship, social service, and personal spiritual experience, but the pursuit of beautycosmology-you all too often limit to the study of man’s crude artistic endeavors. Beauty, art, is largely a matter of the unification of contrasts. Variety is essential to the concept of beauty. (UB 56:10.3; emphasis added)
We know that variety is essential, yet we sometimes (perhaps often) struggle to accept our differences, let alone see these differences as assets that can expand our perspectives and bring balance and insights to our thinking.
Forging new, stronger, and beautiful social systems from the intentional unification of our contrasts offers so many opportunities to yield the fruits of the spirit, to grow our own souls, and to each make a unique and hard-earned contribution to the Supreme. Everyone who has read even part of The Urantia Book has at least the embers of desire (if not a full-scale bonfire) to align our will with God’s.
Your spirit unity implies two things, which always will be found to harmonize in the lives of individual believers: First, you are possessed with a common motive for life service; you all desire above everything to do the will of the Father in heaven. Second, you all have a common goal of existence; you all purpose to find the Father in heaven, thereby proving to the universe that you have become like him. (UB 141:5.3)
¶ References
- Article obtained from The Fellowship site