STANDARDS: reflecting on the Blessing WS 2025

Nothing will challenge us more than our own standards

Looking back at the Matching and Blessing workshop (officially unofficial, but powerful education for BCs), we could be transformed again by discovering and reconnecting to the roots of the Blessing. Not only through understanding the restorational course that it took for True Parents to appear and bring the Blessing, or the demanding and yet profound formula course that many of our parents went through. What was palpable as a call to action and change, was the unavoidable necessity to strive for a standard that God is calling us to pursue.

This ws was a journey of reflecting on what I have inherited, deciding what I want to inherit, and refocusing on the path of the Blessing that I aim to walk—a path that is for God’s ideal. – Participant from Taiwan

From not falling to the CIG standard

It’s never casual to hear about the Cheon Il Guk standard. Through the early 2000’ until Father’s passing in 2012, Father was raising the standard of what it meant to be a pure second generation, one that could be eligible for a True Parents matching, and later on becoming what should be the standard of purity education for BCs.

The purity culture for second generation was rapidly changing in the early 2000’, and many important events happened in just a few years: Father announced in 2001 that from then on parents will match their children, only to offer a few years later to do some parallel matchings himself; there was forgiveness on a world level, the proclamation of textbook couples and also the surprising and impactful “thumbs matchings” that True Father initiated. The lecturer reflected that in hindsight, Father took the last years of his life to educate BCs more thoroughly in their Blessing journeys.

And so the culture around the understanding of purity started to transform. For a BC growing up in the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s, to be pure could have meant “as long as I don’t cross the line of the fall I’m fine”. To go further than this black and white understanding (I either had a sexual relationship or not), the so-called Cheon Il Guk standard arose: to not have any previous experience with the opposite sex.

Father’s definition of purity was simple and clear, but as you can imagine, it was also challenging and demanding.

The content impacted me in my current situation right now and also how I will go forward with my Matching and Blessing. The content on the CIG standard for the Blessing was confronting but also gave me hope and inspiration to strive for a higher standard in myself regardless of what other people are doing and how they treat the blessing. – Participant from Ireland

It must come as an individual call

There’s no point to just stare at a proclamation of what a standard and ideal should be, unless we’re able to dig deeply into ourselves and ask God: is this what you want from me? Anything else is just a forceful understanding, something that comes imposed from outside of ourselves. Because it doesn’t matter if we’re in front of a true ideal or true standard, it is only if it comes from within that we can commit fully to such a goal.

But how can we do that? The biggest barrier to resonating with a standard, is to let the confrontation and the personal feelings towards it interfere into what our heart most deeply desires. Knowing that we’re not living to such a standard can affect the way we feel about ourselves. Nobody wants to fall short. Nobody wants to acknowledge failure. And yet, deep inside, nobody wants to dwell on and in low standards, because we know that a high standard is there to call us deeper and closer to God and our potential.

We need to understand that when applying any high standard, it is not only for the benefit of the creator of such a standard. It’s not that we just follow it to make God happy. It is mainly for the benefit of those who strive for the ideal. It’s not enough for us to “obey” God’s command, but rather it is the transformation of our love and the purification of our spirit that makes the journey worthy. 

In this workshop we had the chance again to admit to ourselves what our heart and soul desires. Nothing more than to resonate with God’s ideal for us. Not as a burden, nor as a source of pride, but for the sake of upholding and protecting the ideal of the Blessing. 

The environment of the ws was incredible, all the lectures were truly amazing, and I could truly feel how much every lecturer cared about bc’s education, and how important it was for us to understand why the blessing is so important and so holy, and why we should value it so much. – Participant from Brazil

I want it, but I’ve made mistakes

When God called Adam and Eve after the fall, and they responded with clear avoidance of their responsibility, it seems that God kicked them out of the Garden of Eden; the “original space” where God dwelled freely. It only seems natural that if God gave them the commandment as a warning, that in betraying such a standard, they would be banished from His presence.

But what if it wasn’t God who kicked them out of Eden? When we look at how personal, forgiving and embracing God is, and how much he suffers for humanity, it can also sound natural that God would welcome any of his children into his bosom, whether they sinned against His Will or not.

It was first of all Adam and Eve that were aware of their fault. They acknowledged their nakedness and chose a blameful attitude. Could it be that Adam and Eve were not able to stand near God after failing their own standard? Could it be that by not repenting and choosing to hide, they couldn’t stand how confronting it was to face God? Isn’t it when we are not honest in accepting our faults, that we’re not free in our hearts?

And so we can see our journeys in such a way. We resonate with God’s commandment (standard), but when we betray it, and we do not come to God, we can often direct ourselves into leaving the environment and direction of the ideal we truly wanted.

The idea of pursuing a standard of purity is not so that God has a hold on us and can kick us out of His presence. It is for us to be truly free and naked in front of God.

The other choice

It was always the case that Adam and Eve could have repented to God. When hearing the concern in God’s voice (where are you?), they could have vulnerably stood and admitted that they failed on that occasion. And we can do so too.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in the context of purity or any other standard, the formula to regain the original state is always the same: to repent, confess and change.

The main lecturer explained clearly how Father made sure that while raising the standard of Blessed Children to go to the Blessing, there would be at the right providential time a way for those who made mistakes to be able to receive the Blessing with full dignity.

And although there was a providence to attain forgiveness on a worldwide level, and that was offered freely to any person, in a way that was official and ritualistic, we know that God doesn’t need a stage to forgive us. It has to do more with how much foundation we have to take responsibility over our own wrongdoings.

Because forgiveness and grace comes to us unconditionally from God, and yet it is only us who make ourselves worth it, if we change and stand in a position where we will not fail the temptation again. It is not only God who we need to convince that we will not be tempted again. As we know from the midway position, it is “the other guy” who we need to prove that we’re strong enough to not fall into temptation.

Let’s stay in the Garden of Eden

To understand the Cheon Il Guk standard is not just a call for sexual purity, but one of love in its truest form. In our family pledge we promise and remind ourselves of such standards and ideals. We stand in prayer in front of God and proclaim such promises. And we fall short. We struggle. We compromise. We suffer.

And yet we want to come back to God in all worthiness and dignity, and be able to accept his grace because we know we’ve gone through the process of change.

We are all responsible as a community to uphold the standard and culture of our circles of influence. It’s embedded very deeply into our fallen natures to find excuses for not striving for our own ideal, and if those around us also excuse themselves, it is extremely tempting to not follow it ourselves.

But in this community we have the chance to create a Blessing culture that is both based on the highest standard of purity, and the hopeful possibility to change if we’re not yet in such a place. It is only up to us to stay in Eden, and to help one another by aiming at our highest capacity while being compassionate for each personal journey. Let us strive for the highest standard, and let us be worthy of God’s blessing.

God bless you.

Javier B. (on behalf of the ESGD team)

More testimonies

The workshop felt like coming home and being educated with your brothers and sisters about one of the(/if not *the*) most important decisions in our life.  I am truly grateful for all the lecturers for guiding us so clearly and strongly in our all individual ways and for the staff to create this environment one could feel safe at. – Participant from Germany

I’m grateful for the consistent space made by ESGD for quality workshops, connection and content. It is precious.
The worship was top notch as always, we’re lucky to have such a good group of willing musicians. – Participant from UK

The workshop was a breath of fresh air.. – Participant from Portugal