Fight or serve .... arrogance .... humility ....

B.D. No. 2923 October 13th 1943

In order to reach maturity the human being has to overcome resistance because his ascent is only possible if he fights or serves. The apostasy from God took place in self-conceit, in the wrong assumption of being so powerful that the being could renounce God, that it was also in full possession of power without Him. And thus the spiritual being wanted to rule alongside God in order to place itself above God by increasing its own strength. And now it has to take the path backwards .... in order to be able to reign with God it must first recognize its lack of strength and now wrestle and ask for the strength it lacks, it must serve God in deepest humility and the beingness which is associated with it .... It must fight or serve, thus overcome itself, it must emerge from its arrogance into humility and now strive for the strength it once possessed and proved itself unworthy of. It must therefore provide proof of its worthiness and bear witness to this through struggle and service. Then the spiritual develops to the height .... But if the feeling of dominance is too strongly developed in the human being, then he must fight against it, he must therefore wage a battle against himself. And this is considerably more difficult. He should also practice humility towards his neighbor, he must shed the arrogance he has shown towards God by turning to his fellow human beings in serving love. These are also God's creatures, and they should be treated as human beings before God and not be regarded as subordinate to him, but as equals. And since man is a ruler, he must overcome himself if he wants to fulfill this requirement. He must serve where he wanted to rule; he must wrestle where he thought he could rule. Only in this way can he develop to the heights, for his nature will bring him many resistances, which will enable him to mature. And he will not have overcome himself until he gives up his former arrogance, until he stands small and humble before God and desires to be united with Him ....

amen