2. The Fallen Apple

While working in a Christian organisation I was in a position to witness the effects of sexual abuse. Observing some of the trauma these persons went through was part of my growing awareness of how much pain existed in the community. In my quiet moments I began to question how a Christian could have such a massive betrayal of trust, as some of these victims were abused by trusted leaders in the church. It was a thought that would remain embedded in my heart. How could someone who believes in Christ and is respected as a leader allow these things to occur, not on a minor scale, but with sickening regularity? There was more to come.

The call on the phone was desperate. I knew I needed to go and assist. Two members of the Christian fellowship I was serving were in a heated argument. When I arrived I could hear the commotion and prayed for wisdom and grace. There was fear in the children’s eyes as the parents poured forth their bitterness towards each other. At church you would not have much of a clue that such conflict could exist. The situation that night simmered, but it began to ignite something deep inside me.

I recalled the statistic I had studied earlier in my training concerning divorce and sexual abuse. Those statistics now had several faces and names. The seriousness of the situation was punctuated by the brutal facts. It was then I remembered the time the apple fell in my mind with the thought:

Something is missing. We don’t have the answers, I thought. An isolated case here and there I could comprehend but not the figures that were in front of me: One in ten children is a victim of sexual abuse currently.[1]  In the organisation I was working for the divorce rates were as high as 28% and marital conflict as high as 58% in certain regions.[2]

I simply couldn’t ignore the figures. I had to find a meaningful answer to this break down in family and community relationships. This issue was all the more perplexing because of the high value that most people place on their families both in the world and in the church. Consider statements like the following:

Family is the most important thing in the world. – Princess Diana

The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home. – Confucius

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family. -- Thomas Jefferson

Cherish your human connections – your relationships with friends and family. – Barbara Bush

These sentiments I hear regularly, and yet there is so much discord, conflict and abuse in families and communities that beg the question: What are the core principles that will foster strong, healthy relationships? Is there a universal law concerning the motions of the heart that rightly understood and practiced would harmonise our relationships and minimize discord and abuse?

Like Newton my mind was drawn to the relationship of celestial bodies in the heavens looking for a blueprint or pattern that would answer the questions in my mind. My quest took me much further than I anticipated and hence, the reason for the title of this booklet, The Divine Pattern of Life. In seeking answers to find the secret to successful relationships, I was exposed to a simple reality that speaks wisdom into many aspects of the human experience. As I have considered how far this principle reaches, I am astonished and excited by the implications. I have conducted a number of experiments with amazing results based on these principles.

As an introduction let us consider the process by which we receive life. The father passes his seed to the mother who then nurtures and grows the child in her womb from which she then gives birth. The active generative source principle of our father and
the passive nurturing channel principle of our mother speak wisdom to us concerning the wonderful pattern of life for this is indeed how we all receive life in this earthly sphere. The harmonious alignment of source and channel gives life. The expansion of this simple principle and its implications in every aspect of our lives is the theme of this booklet. As part of our journey we will also discover another principle at war with this pattern of life that has confused and distorted this pattern bringing sorrow, confusion, and death.

Let’s turn to the celestial bodies that were part of what Newton was considering from a physical perspective. Consider the relationship of the sun, moon, and the earth as we focus on aspects of light, gravity and the pulse of the tides relating to these bodies.

[1] Darkness to Light. End Sexual Abuse. www.d2l.org – figure released Aug 2013.

[2] http://family.adventist.org/home---divorce-and-remarriage-in-the-seventh-day-adventist-church.html