By Jeannie Vázquez de Abreu, Uruguay
As a child, I would occasionally experience a brief sense of perceiving a reality that was beyond what I could see and hear. For a few seconds I perceived a reality so beautiful, peaceful, and happy that it seemed that a door to another world had opened.
As I continued to grow into adolescence and early youth, I went through a period of rebellion against the religion of my parents, which led me to feel anguish about life. Everything was uphill for me, difficult, arduous. I began to wonder if there was a God; if it was true that there was a soul and life after death.
Despite my pondering, I did nothing to actively search for the answers. But one day my roommate purchased a prayer book. Being an avid reader, I asked her to let me read it. The prayers in it were different from the prayers of my parents and their congregation—those prayers were repetitive, and without spontaneous personal expression of the yearnings of the soul.
The prayers in this book were focused on the needs and problems of daily life. They were like conversations with God, telling him about anguish and difficulties, and asking for help to improve the quality of life. It was the first time that the existence of such prayers had come to my attention. It had never occurred to me that this was possible. I began to pray some of them every morning on my way to work, and every night before bed. At first, my progress in achieving inner peace was like riding a bicycle up a hill—slow, laborious, difficult. But little by little my life was changing, improving.
Motivated by my discovery of personal prayer, I began reading books about angels, Jesus, God, and various religions. None of them provided satisfactory and convincing answers to my questions. I also attended conferences on a variety of esoteric topics. Nothing gave me peace, nor inspired me with confidence and certainty about the truth I continued to seek.
And so it went, until one afternoon, about 25 years ago, I opened a magazine that had been on a shelf in my living room for months. Within its pages was a short article on The Urantia Book, stating that this book contained the entire life of Jesus, including his "lost years." That was enough to make me want to read it! I ran to the nearest bookstore and bought it.
I had finally found the reliable and clear answers I needed! I immediately recognized it as a true divine revelation. Reading and studying The Urantia Book has been an increasingly satisfying experience, teaching me something new every day. However, even though I was fascinated by what I read, and even though I believed it without a doubt, it was a slow process to understand its teachings, to find the answer to the question “What must I do to save my soul and grow in spirit?”
A very dear person, one who is now my life and service partner, helped me to understand the instructions for personal growth. Living the teachings of the revelation became a source of joy and peace. Maintaining worshipful fellowship with the Father has been a source of personal spiritual growth.
The teachings of The Urantia Book are uplifting and transformative when we live them wholeheartedly. The happiness of having found the answers to my questions cannot be compared to experiencing the profound impact of the Father's love, which I felt a few years after meeting the revelation, the day I decided to consecrate my life to doing his will with all my heart.
My life had been complicated and difficult, full of ups and downs. I was striving to achieve what I believed should be my goals. But things just weren’t going my way. I felt like a victim of life and circumstances. Then one day I realized that everything I was experiencing was the result of my own choices, and that I could change if I wanted to. So I did!
I decided to wipe the slate clean, move house, change relationships, start over. When I finished concretizing the decisions I had made, I sat and prayed, saying to the Father: “My father, until today I have done my will. From now on, I give you my life to do your will and only your will.”
In that instant I felt an invasion of love that filled my entire being with the most wonderful happiness I have ever experienced, and which continues to bless me to this day. Every day I live the wonderful experience of feeling the love of the Father within me. That love is the force that drives me to follow in the footsteps of Jesus with all my heart, seeking to serve my brothers with the best I have to give.
Living the inner relationship with our Father is a wonderful experience that has brought me everything I longed for and more. And now all I want is to serve him and help others to find the greatest treasure we all carry inside, our Father who loves us infinitely.
May God bless you all!