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There was a young girl who dreamed of pursuing post-secondary education. She wanted to make the world a better place for everyone and everything, but typical careers appeared too limiting. Economics, psychology, political science, communications, and even religion felt like containers too small for what welled up within her as she contemplated her hopes for the future. She didn’t see how any field of study would support her desire to serve humankind and bring about the transformational change she longed for.

The girl worked to support her family when she was old enough. Her mother became disabled and could only work a few hours a week. The youth would need to work several jobs to feed, clothe, and house her family. She realized that her role as the older sister of her brothers and sisters made this dream impossible.

She knew there were scholarships to help students afford post-secondary educational programs. Still, these funds would not allow her to pursue her dream because of her family’s needs.

One day, the young lady learned about a competitive grant that would provide as much money as she needed to pursue her purpose. The competition required a written essay about an idea that could save humanity and the planet. The grant committee required supplementary documentation such as business plans, schematics, strategies, or other research.

This new possibility gave the girl hope. Every day, she contemplated what she could discover to save the world. She regularly came up with ideas only to reject them as not truly meeting the requirements of the scholarship, let alone her deep desire to be of service to the world.

The young lady’s dreams were shaken when she learned that no one had ever won the prize. Over several decades, thousands of motivated students applied for this prestigious grant without a single one being awarded. The selection committee had not received anything that could save the world. Despite this troubling revelation, the young lady persisted.

One night the desperate but hopeful youth did something she hadn’t done before. She prayed to God for help. She hadn’t seen much to make her think there was a God. Still, she reasoned that if God had placed this desire to serve within her, there was no one better to ask for help. She gave up study and imagination. For the first time, the girl prayed to God for what she needed.

A warm inner glow and a sense of peace answered her desperate prayers. While she appreciated this unexpected blessing, she didn’t know what it had to do with her grant application quest.

Despite her doubts, she kept up her efforts and continuously asked God for help. Over time, she followed different impulses that led her to new information and people. She grew more confident that she could play some part in saving the world.

As the grant application deadline approached in the middle of her final year of high school, the student started to work on her essay for the committee. She knew she had received a powerful energy from the Source of Life every time she prayed with sincere longing.

She felt sure that when enough people received this spiritual power, humanity and the world would be fundamentally changed for the better. She completed her essay and summarized the experiences and research she had compiled during her quest. She proposed to use the funds to support her continued personal transformation and to invite and support others to do the same. 

Her quest had begun in desperation, but she was at peace. Even if she didn’t receive the grant, the young woman was determined to continue. She submitted the completed application and continued praying, attending school, and supporting her family.

After a couple months, she received an invitation to meet with the selection committee. At the interview, she stood before a dozen wrinkled people in business suits seated at a long table. Some of the panelists could not believe the solution to the world’s problems could be so simple. She told them that humanity had a knack for making things more complicated than necessary. A couple expressed concern that she had not developed a strategic plan. She said she had not received guidance to establish one but was open to the possibility. Others questioned her research and sources because they disagreed with contemporary scholarship. She cited herself as the primary source for her findings. She shared more about the changes she had experienced and the insights she had received. A few criticized her proposal as a blatant request to fund a religious cult. She told the committee that she only wanted to share a proven spiritual practice. She was not interested in promoting religious texts, rituals, doctrines, beliefs, or formalized authority structures. She responded to all of their questions and concerns to the best of her ability.

The final question came from the committee chair, a small, frail man with deeper wrinkles than the others. He labored to push himself up using the table top and spoke after his panting had subsided. “Miss, it’s clear that you believe what you’re saying. How can we know that your proposal represents the hope we seek? How can we be confident that your efforts will bear the elusive fruit of positive global transformation for our species and planetary home before it’s too late?”

The young woman felt her heart burning within her chest. She said, “I don’t expect you to believe me. Seek and experience this life-changing power for yourselves. Once you’ve done this, you can decide what’s true. Each one who desires this gift is changed by it. I’m confident that my desire to serve in this way did not come from me but from the One who made me. This longing was placed within each of you. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I don’t know how this will turn out, but I trust the Source to provide everything we need if we ask. If you want to know whether my proposal has merit, do as I’ve done. Test it and decide for yourselves.”

The chairman carefully lowered himself into his seat.

The applicant said, “Thank you for the opportunity to share what I’ve discovered. What started out as a quest for the means to go to college has led me to my life’s purpose. I’ve already received much more than I hoped. May I offer you a blessing?” The young woman blessed the panel and returned home.

Several weeks passed before the young lady was invited to a second meeting. She was driven to a large mansion. The butler guided her to a large study where every wall was floor-to-ceiling bookcases crammed with publications. She imagined someone trying to squeeze a single piece of paper between the books, causing every book in the room to explode off the shelves from the additional pressure. 

Sitting in a leather wing chair was the small, bald man who had asked the interview’s final question. Sitting at a slight angle to him was an even smaller wrinkled woman with a whispy white cloud of hair. The butler escorted the young woman to a third wing chair facing the other two. He closed the pocket doors as he left.

The old couple smiled at the young lady. She smiled back. The frail lady broke the silence. “I’m so glad to meet you, Dear. Our only daughter died in a car accident when she was eighteen. When we lost her, we became lost. Many years ago, we developed a grant competition to honor her memory. It’s become so much more than that as we have watched humankind decline over the decades. 

The man added, “We have seen proposals for revolutionary technologies, new forms of governance, brilliant intellectual and scientific insights, and even a few new religions.” He smiled. “But you have given us something we can test for ourselves. You have chosen a path of personal transformation and invited us to be changed. We have applied your practice and experienced something new stirring within us. We wanted to thank you personally for bringing us this experience and hope of salvation for the world. Because of this and your commitment to helping humankind receive this gift, the selection committee has unanimously decided to provide whatever resources we can to support your efforts. We hope our work together may be accomplished before humanity destroys Mother Earth.”

The young woman looked into her lap, unsure how to say what was on her mind. The awardee shook as she thanked them but confessed that she hadn’t applied to any post-secondary programs. No guidance had been received to do so. She didn’t know if she would ever attend a post-secondary program or institution. 

As the young lady looked up, the couple grinned and glanced at each other. The woman said, “Who said anything about school? We’ve both attended institutions and earned degrees. We’ve received instruction from many different teachers over the years. The shelves around us contain thousands of books full of knowledge. But a young woman attending a city high school and working to support her family has taught us something that we could not find in all our years of study. Who are we to tell you what you should do? We only want to do everything we can to support you and your dream for this world.”

The young woman broke down and sobbed into her hands as tears slipped between her fingers. The old woman smiled and handed her a clean handkerchief.

The Secrets of the Story

Our species has become enamored with the mind and its abilities while our souls have been neglected. The soul isn’t a religious concept or fiction. It’s the center of our true identity as children of the Source. I invite you to desire the gift that flows from the Source to transform your life and the world. Like the young lady in the story, I don’t expect you to believe me. Repeatedly and persistently test what this story teaches in the laboratory of your life. If you do, you won’t be disappointed.

The Earth shudders under the oppression of the mental and material activity of humanity. Our species and everything in this world suffers because we have not allowed the Source to change us from within. I implore you to seek Divine Love for the transformation of your life and our world.

Transformed souls think and act in transformational ways. Developing our minds will not save us. Salvation will only come individually and collectively when we allow ourselves to be changed from deep within by the Source of Life and Love. 

It’s not too late. We’re not past the point of no return. Pray with me for this powerful gift so we may become less of a problem and more a part of the solution.