By Su Wei, China

My family was very poor when I was young, and our neighbors and relatives all looked down on us. My mother taught me from a young age, “You must study hard and make our family proud when you grow up.” I kept my mother’s words engraved in my mind and worked hard on my studies, hoping that one day I would get a good degree and a good job, and improve my family’s life. One time, after undergoing surgery for a fracture, I was discharged with my foot in a cast and I was unable to walk, and my mom carried me to class every day. I endured the pain while also dealing with strange looks from others and continued on my academic path. To achieve this goal, I never gave up on my studies, even when I encountered a few accidents during school. To get into a good university, I never slacked off in my studies. Every day, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., apart from eating, drinking, and other necessities, I was studying. After the college entrance exam, I finally got into a top-tier university. In my third year of college, I prepared for the graduate school entrance exam. To get into a prestigious graduate program, I shut myself away for almost a year, spending over ten hours a day in the library tackling the graduate school courses. I didn’t dare let myself relax at all. In the end, I achieved my goal and was admitted to one of the country’s most prestigious graduate programs. After graduation, I started working at a research institute in a public institution and I began living a typical nine-to-five life. The benefits and salary were decent as well. At that time, my family and I gained a lot of admiration and praise from the neighbors, and the relatives who used to look down on us started bringing gifts and coming by to visit. When I met my classmates, they would compliment and praise me as well. I became my parents’ pride, and I felt quite happy.

But after starting work, I felt an inexplicable emptiness inside. Moreover, I stayed in the field of scientific research for a long time, and I became increasingly aware that the more scientific knowledge I studied, the more I realized there are so many unfathomable unknowns in this world. Even if I devoted my entire life to research, the end result would still be less than a drop in the ocean. So what was the point of continuing this research? I didn’t know what I should pursue or how to alleviate this feeling of emptiness and confusion. I tried to fill my life with exercising, running, and reading. But these didn’t change the situation of my life at all. Whenever I had some free time, a huge sense of emptiness would engulf me and eat away at me. To feel more fulfilled, I decided to apply to a prestigious overseas university for further studies, hoping to secure a better future. Although I knew this would be a lot of pressure, I still consoled myself, saying, “This is just how life is. People strive upward just as water flows downward. It’s perfectly normal.”

Just as I was preparing to pursue this goal, I just so happened to hear Almighty God’s gospel of the last days. I learned that humans were created by God and weren’t corrupt at the beginning, that people could live in harmony without conflicts, but after humans were corrupted by Satan, they developed all sorts of corrupt dispositions, and started to fight and deceive one another, living in darkness and suffering. In order to save humanity and allow humans to gain truth and life, God has carried out the three stages of work to save mankind in the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. Now, God is performing the final stage of His work, which is to reveal all truths to humanity, so people can break free from Satan’s bonds and harm, and cast off their satanic corrupt dispositions and be led into a wonderful destination. The more I read God’s words at that time, the more I was drawn in, and I came to understand the meaning and mysteries of life through His words, and I enjoyed peace and joy in my heart like I had never known before.

One time, I read these words of God: “Since mankind’s contrivance of the social sciences, the mind of man has become occupied by science and knowledge. Science and knowledge then have become tools for the ruling of mankind, and there is no longer sufficient room for man to worship God, and no more favorable conditions for the worship of God. The position of God has sunk ever lower in the heart of man. Without God in his heart, man’s inner world is dark, hopeless and empty. Subsequently many social scientists, historians, and politicians have come to the fore to express theories of social science, the theory of human evolution, and other theories that contradict the truth that God created man, to fill the hearts and minds of mankind. And in this way, those who believe that God created everything have become ever fewer, and those who believe in the theory of evolution have become ever greater in number. More and more people treat the records of the work of God and His words during the age of the Old Testament as myths and legends. In their hearts, people become indifferent to the dignity and greatness of God, to the tenet that God exists and holds dominion over all things. The survival of mankind and the fate of countries and nations are no longer important to them, and man lives in a hollow world concerned only with eating, drinking, and the pursuit of pleasure. … Few people take it upon themselves to seek out where God does His work today, or to look for how He presides over and arranges the destination of man. … Science, knowledge, freedom, democracy, leisure, comfort: these bring man only a temporary consolation. Even with these things, man still inevitably sins and bemoans the injustices of society. These things cannot restrain man’s craving and desire to explore. This is because man was made by God and the senseless sacrifices and explorations of man can only lead to more distress and can only cause man to exist in a constant state of fear, not knowing how to face the future of mankind or how to face the path that lies ahead. Man even comes to fear science and knowledge, and fear even more the feeling of emptiness. In this world, regardless of whether you live in a free country or one without human rights, you are utterly incapable of escaping the fate of mankind. Whether you are the ruler or the ruled, you are utterly incapable of escaping the desire to explore the fate, mysteries, and destination of mankind, much less are you capable of escaping the bewildering sense of emptiness. Such phenomena, which are common to all of mankind, are called social phenomena by sociologists, yet no great man can come forth to solve such problems. Man, after all, is man, and the position and life of God cannot be replaced by any man. Mankind does not just require a fair society in which everyone is well-fed and is equal and free; what mankind needs is the salvation of God and His provision of life to them. Only when man receives God’s provision of life and His salvation can the needs, the yearning to explore, and the spiritual emptiness of man be resolved” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 2: God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind). God’s words moved me deeply. I realized that the science and knowledge I had been pursuing all along weren’t the truth, and that they couldn’t provide for the needs of my soul or solve the confusion in my life. Instead, the more I pursued them, the more my heart would be occupied and filled by science and knowledge, leading me further away from God. Even though after my graduation, others saw me as having a good degree and a bright future, and I should have been happy, I wasn’t. Instead, I was filled with uncertainty and confusion about the future. To get rid of this feeling of emptiness and confusion, I tried to fill myself with exercise and reading, but none of these could ease the emptiness in my heart at all, so I convinced myself to pursue even higher life goals, believing that having something to strive for would relieve this feeling, but instead, I ended up feeling even more repressed. It became clear to me that even if I poured my entire life into scientific research, I still wouldn’t gain much understanding of this world, and instead, the more I researched, the more unknowns I would encounter, and the more bewildered and confused I would become about this world. I realized that no matter how many books I read or how much scientific knowledge I gained, even if others saw me as having a promising future, it was all useless, and it wouldn’t solve the emptiness in my heart or the confusion in my life. I also realized why I had always been unable to shake off this torment of emptiness inside; it was because I hadn’t found God, because I hadn’t received His provision of life truth for man, and because I didn’t understand the mysteries or meaning of life. Humanity was created by God, and God can provide what humans need in life. Only God understands best what humanity truly needs, and only the truth expressed by God can solve the emptiness in the human heart. To have more time to eat and drink God’s words, I didn’t want to spend any more time and energy pursuing further studies abroad. I saw that teaching at an international school was also a good option, as it offered regular holidays, summer and winter breaks, and even paid better than working in a research institute. Teaching was also a stable and respected profession, so I switched careers and began teaching at a school.

One day, I came across two passages of God’s words, and I gained some understanding of the meaning and value of doing one’s duty. Almighty God says: “As members of the human race and devout Christians, it is the responsibility and obligation of us all to offer up our minds and bodies for the fulfillment of God’s commission, for our entire being came from God, and it exists thanks to the sovereignty of God. If our minds and bodies are not for God’s commission and not for the just cause of mankind, then our souls will feel unworthy of those who were martyred for God’s commission, and much more unworthy of God, who has provided us with everything” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 2: God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind). “God seeks those who long for Him to appear. He seeks those who are able to hear His words, those who have not forgotten His commission and offer up their hearts and bodies to Him. He seeks those who are as submissive as babes before Him and do not resist Him. If you devote yourself to God, unimpeded by any power or force, then God shall look upon you with favor and shall bestow His blessings upon you. If you are of high station, of honorable reputation, possessed of abundant knowledge, the owner of plentiful assets, and supported by many people, yet these things do not prevent you from coming before God to accept His calling and His commission and to do what God asks of you, then all that you do shall be the most meaningful cause on earth and the most just undertaking of mankind” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 2: God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind). After reading God’s words, I understood God’s intention. This work in the last days is God’s last stage of work in saving humanity. God hopes that more people will accept His commission, so that they will bring those living in emptiness and suffering before Him to receive His salvation, and to break free from Satan’s torment and corruption. This is humanity’s most just cause, and it is our responsibility and obligation as Christians. No matter the greatness of one’s status, prestige, knowledge, or wealth, if one can set aside these things to accept God’s commission and do their duty as a created being, then this is something that God approves of. I thought about how I had lived in emptiness and suffering before believing in God, not knowing how to walk my future path in life, and just how pained and helpless I felt when facing difficulties and predicaments in my life. It was God’s salvation that freed me from such an empty and confused life, and gave me support and direction. God allowed me to hear His voice first, so I should share God’s gospel with those who, like me, were living in emptiness and suffering, so they too could hear God’s voice, understand the truth, and live with peace and joy. With these thoughts in mind, I wanted to have more time to do my duty. But my daily schedule at school was completely packed, and sometimes I couldn’t even find time to read more of God’s words. Seeing the brothers and sisters actively doing their duties, I felt anxious, and I wanted to give up this job that was consuming so much of my time and energy. But I was reluctant to let it go. I spent nearly twenty years studying hard just to get a good degree and a good job, and at this point, I hadn’t worked long, and I hadn’t properly honored my parents, so how could I just let it all go? I felt very conflicted and didn’t know what choice to make.

One day, I heard a hymn of God’s words and was deeply moved.

You Must Place Belief in God Above All Else

1  If you wish to believe in God, and if you wish to gain God and gain His satisfaction, then unless you endure a certain degree of pain and put in a certain amount of effort, you will not be able to achieve these things. You have heard much preaching, but simply having heard it does not mean that this sermon is yours; you must absorb it and transform it into something that belongs to you. You must assimilate it into your life and bring it into your existence, allowing these words and preaching to guide the way you live and bring existential value and meaning to your life. When that happens, your hearing these words will have been worth it.

2  If the words God speaks do not bring about any upturn in your lives or add any value to your existences, then there is no point in your listening to them. You will only gain from your faith in God if you approach it as the greatest thing in your life, more important than even food, clothes, or anything else. If you only believe when you have the time, and are incapable of devoting your entire attention to your faith, and if you are always muddled in your faith, then you will gain nothing.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Thinking over God’s words again and again, I understood that believing in God means obtaining the truth and a true life, and that it isn’t just a matter of reading God’s words and understanding some doctrines to gain these things. Gaining these things requires practicing and experiencing God’s words in real life, and allowing God’s words to change one’s life pursuit. If one only professes faith in God but doesn’t practice and experience the truth in all aspects, and they still regard pursuing worldly prospects as the value of life, then in living this way, they will never attain the truth. I thought about how God had expressed so many truths in the last days, yet I still hadn’t finished reading many of God’s words, and I didn’t even fully understand words and doctrines. I was still practicing my faith in a half-hearted manner, spending a lot of time every day on work that brought no benefit to my life, and left me with no extra time to eat and drink God’s words and understand the truth. If I continued to practice my faith in this half-hearted way, I would never reach an understanding of the truth by the end of my faith, let alone truly experience and know the truth. After understanding these things, things became clear to me in my heart. I couldn’t continue to practice my faith in this half-hearted way, or I would ruin my chance for salvation. I constantly prayed to God in my heart, hoping that He would guide me to make the right choice.

I also kept wondering why, having come to know that believing in God and pursuing the truth was the right path in life, it was still so difficult for me to give up my job in order to do my duty. What was I really worried about? I realized that one reason behind this was my difficulty in putting aside the thought of my parents. I worried that if I didn’t work and earn money, I wouldn’t be able to honor my parents properly, and I felt that I would be letting down my parents after all these years of their efforts and expectations. I sought what God’s words say in this context. I recalled two passages of God’s words. Almighty God says: “From the moment you come crying into this world, you begin to fulfill your duty. For God’s plan and for His ordination, you perform your role and start your life’s journey. Whatever your background, and whatever the journey ahead of you, no one can escape the orchestrations and arrangements of Heaven, and no one is in control of their own destiny, for only He who rules over all things is capable of such work” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God Is the Source of Man’s Life). “God created this world and brought man, a living being unto which He bestowed life, into it. Next, man came to have parents and kin, and was no longer alone. Ever since man first laid eyes on this material world, he was destined to exist within the ordination of God. The breath of life from God supports each and every living being throughout growth into adulthood. During this process, no one feels that man is growing up under the care of God; rather, they believe that man is doing so under the loving care of his parents, and that it is his own life instinct that directs his growing up. This is because man knows not who bestowed his life, or from whence it came, much less the way in which the instinct of life creates miracles. He knows only that food is the basis on which his life continues, that perseverance is the source of his existence, and that the beliefs in his mind are the capital upon which his survival depends. Of God’s grace and provision, man is utterly oblivious, and thus does he fritter away the life bestowed upon him by God…. Not a single one of this humanity that God cares for day and night takes it upon themselves to worship Him. God only continues to work on man, for whom He holds out no expectations, as He has planned. He does so in the hope that one day, man will awaken from his dream and suddenly realize the value and meaning of life, the price God paid for all that He has given him, and the eager solicitude with which God waits for man to turn back to Him” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God Is the Source of Man’s Life). Thinking over God’s words, my heart became clear and was deeply touched. Humans come from God, and our breath of life is given by God. We owe nothing to our parents. The fact that my parents raised me and provided for my education was God’s sovereignty and arrangement. My parents were simply fulfilling their responsibilities and obligations. Whatever level of education I have was also predetermined by God, not by how much my parents could pay for my education. I had to understand my parents’ love and sacrifices from God. Looking back, none of the stages of my life were under my control. For example, among the children of my age in my village, only I missed lots of classes due to several accidents, yet I still progressed smoothly in my studies. Also, I had several serious accidents as a child, but they were all just close calls. I have come to this point under God’s care and protection, and my utmost gratitude should have been given to God. Additionally, each of us has our own mission. I have a mission and responsibility entrusted to me by God, and a path in life that God has set for me, and I shouldn’t live only for my parents’ expectations. My parents have their own fate, and it’s not as if by working hard and earning money, I can change their fate. If God hasn’t predestined favorable living conditions for them, then no matter how hard I try, they won’t benefit from it. I shouldn’t keep trying to create a happy life for my parents with my own hands. Now that I had finally found the right path in life, and I had received life provision from God’s words, I should practice according to God’s words, look to God, entrust everything, including my parents, to Him, and diligently pursue the truth.

Although I intended to give up my job and expend myself fully to God, when I thought about giving up the future I had pursued for over twenty years, My heart still felt very weak. In seeking and pondering, I realized that my lack of determination was because I hadn’t come to see through fame and gain, because I still wanted to stand out and pursue a life that was superior to the lives of others, and also because I didn’t understand the significance of pursuing the truth. So, I consciously sought the truth in this area. I read God’s words: “You can see that among the nonbelievers, there are many singers and movie stars who were quite willing to endure hardship and dedicated themselves to their work before they became famous. But once they gain fame and start making big money, they don’t walk the correct path. Some of them take drugs, some of them commit suicide, and their lives are shortened. What causes this? Their material pleasures are too excessive, they are too comfortable, and they don’t know how to obtain greater enjoyment or greater excitement. Some of them turn to drugs in search of higher excitement and pleasure, and, as time goes by, they cannot give it up. Some die from excessive drug use, and others, not knowing how to free themselves of it, simply commit suicide in the end. There are so many examples like this. No matter how well you eat, how well you dress, how well you live, how much you enjoy yourself, or how comfortable your life is, and no matter how fully your desires are satisfied, in the end it is emptiness on top of emptiness, and the result is destruction. Is that happiness which the nonbelievers seek real happiness? Actually, that is not happiness. It is human imagining, it is a form of depravity, it is a path by which people become depraved. The so-called happiness that people pursue is false. It is actually suffering. That is not a goal that people should pursue, neither is it where the value of living is. Some of the ways and methods by which Satan corrupts people are making them seek satisfaction of the flesh and indulgence in lust as a goal. By this way, Satan numbs people, entices people, and corrupts people, making them feel as if that is happiness, and leading them to chase after that goal. People believe that obtaining those things is obtaining happiness, so people do all in their power to head in pursuit of that goal. Then, after they do obtain it, it is not happiness they feel but rather emptiness and pain. This proves that that is not the correct path; it is a road to death” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). “One exhausts a lifetime’s worth of energy fighting against fate, spends all of one’s time bustling about, trying to feed one’s family and shuttling back and forth between wealth and status. The things that people treasure are family, money, and fame, and they view these as the most valuable things in life. All people complain about their fates, yet still they push to the back of their minds the issues that are most imperative to examine and understand: why man is alive, how man should live, what the value and meaning of life are. They spend their entire lives, however long they may last, merely rushing about seeking fame and fortune, until their youth has fled and they have become gray and wrinkled. They live in this way until they see that fame and fortune cannot stop their slide toward senility, that money cannot fill the emptiness of the heart, that no one is exempt from the laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death, that no one can escape what fate has in store. … Though the various survival skills that people spend their lives mastering can offer an abundance of material comforts, they never bring true peace and consolation to one’s heart, but instead make people constantly lose their direction, have difficulty controlling themselves, and miss every opportunity to learn the meaning of life; these survival skills create an undercurrent of anxiety about how to face death properly. People’s lives are ruined in this way. The Creator treats everyone fairly, giving everyone a lifetime’s worth of opportunities to experience and know His sovereignty, yet it is only when death draws near, when its specter looms, that one begins to see the light—and then it is too late!” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique III). Thinking over God’s words, I understood that no matter how good one’s material life is or how much fame and gain one attains, it doesn’t constitute true happiness. The pursuit of fame and gain is a means by which Satan misleads people away from God. Even if I spent my whole life pursuing money, fame, and gain, these things wouldn’t free me from spiritual emptiness and pain, but instead, they would cause me to miss the opportunity to attain the truth and ruin my life. I was reluctant to leave my job because I wanted to use it to gain substantial rewards, to achieve a superior and happy life, and to make others stop looking down on my family. But is pursuing such a life truly happiness? I spent over twenty years pursuing a good education to gain others’ respect, and now I had attained the admiration of others and praise from friends and relatives, but my heart still felt no peace or security, and deep down, feelings of emptiness and confusion often engulfed and ate away at me. Moreover, this pursuit put me under great pressure. I was always caught up in comparisons and competition with others, so much so that after graduation, I worried that without pursuing higher education, I would fall behind and be looked down on. Even though I didn’t like scientific research work at all, for the sake of gaining others’ regard, I still forced myself to pursue further studies abroad, continue my research, and even spend my life striving for this. I realized that the pursuit of fame and gain is like a bottomless pit. It can never be satisfied, and it brings a sense of repression and unrest to the soul, offering no happiness at all. Just like many celebrities and writers—they have fame, wealth, and material pleasure in abundance, but in the end, they still feel that life is empty and they don’t know what to pursue. Some turn to drugs, while others suffer from depression and commit suicide. This proves that the enjoyment of money and material wealth doesn’t make for a truly happy life. God had given me the opportunity to pursue the truth and know the Creator, and if I continued to spend a large amount of my time each day on work and the pursuit of fame and gain, leaving no time to ponder God’s words and pursue understanding of the truth, then my pursuit would be no different from the path of worldly people, and ultimately, I would become a slave to money, fame and gain, and I’d live a life unable to escape the emptiness and fear of death inside me. Wouldn’t that just be a wasted life? I was fortunate enough to have received God’s work of the last days, and I had come to understand what life is all about, what this world is about, and what the value and meaning of life are. Only by spending more time doing my duty, and pursuing to gain the truth and know God’s sovereignty, could my life be truly valuable and meaningful. After understanding these things, I had a clearer understanding of the path I should choose in life, and I resolved to give up this job of mine that was consuming so much of my time.

Later, I read two more passages of God’s words, which gave me even more motivation. Almighty God says: “What should you ponder in your heart after hearing the song, ‘The One Who Holds Sovereignty Over Everything’? If mankind were to know why they live and why they die, and who, in fact, is the Sovereign of this world and all things and the One who rules over everything, and where He is, exactly, and what He requires of man—if mankind could understand these things, they would know how to treat the Creator, and how to worship and submit to Him, they would gain support in their heart, they would be at peace and happy, and they would no longer live in such torment and pain. In the final analysis, people must understand the truth. The path they choose for their lives is crucial, and how they live is also important. How one lives and the path one walks decide whether one’s life is joyful or sorrowful. This is something people should understand. … However busily people bustle about in this world, however professionally accomplished they are, however happy their families are, however big their family is, however prestigious their status is—are they capable of embarking on the right path of human life? By chasing after fame and gain, the world, or by pursuing their careers, are they capable of seeing the fact that God created all things and holds sovereignty over the destiny of mankind? It is not possible. If people do not acknowledge the fact that God holds sovereignty over the destiny of mankind, then, regardless of their particular pursuit or path, the path they walk is wrong. It is not the right path, but the crooked path, the path of evil. It does not matter if you have derived satisfaction from your spiritual support, or if you have not, and it does not matter where you find that support: It is not genuine faith, and it is not the right path for human life. What is it to have genuine faith? It’s accepting God’s appearance and work and accepting all of the truth that God has expressed. This truth is the right path for human life and the truth and the life that people should pursue. Walking the right path in life is following God and being able, under the leadership of His words, to understand the truth, tell good from evil, know what is positive and what is negative, and understand His sovereignty and almightiness. When people truly understand in their hearts that God did not only create the heavens and earth and all things but is also the Sovereign over the universe and everything, they can obey all of His orchestrations and arrangements, live according to His words, and fear God and shun evil. This is walking the right path for human life. When people take the right path in life, they can understand why people live and how they should live in order to live in the light and receive God’s blessing and approval” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). “In the scriptures it is written about Job: ‘So Job died, being old and full of days’ (Job 42:17). This means that when Job passed away, he had no regrets and felt no pain, but departed naturally from this world. … Regardless of what Job experienced, his pursuits and goals in life were not painful, but happy. He was happy not only because of the blessings or commendation bestowed on him by the Creator, but more importantly, because of his pursuits and life goals, because of the growing knowledge and true understanding of the Creator’s sovereignty he attained through fearing God and shunning evil, and moreover, because of his personal experience, as a subject of the Creator’s sovereignty, of the wondrous deeds of God, and the tender yet unforgettable experiences and memories of man and God’s coexistence, acquaintance, and mutual understanding. Job was happy because of the comfort and joy that came from knowing the Creator’s intentions, and because of the fear that arose after seeing that He is great, wondrous, lovable, and faithful. Job was able to face death without any suffering because he knew that, in dying, he would return to the Creator’s side. It was his pursuits and gains in life that allowed him to face death calmly, allowed him to face the prospect of the Creator taking back his life calmly, and moreover, allowed him to stand unsullied and free from care before the Creator” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique III). After reading God’s words, I understood that people only have one chance in life, and how one chooses their path in life is crucial, as it determines whether one’s life will be happy and meaningful. If a person spends most of their life pursuing worldly fame and gain, or focusing on family and fleshly things, then they can’t walk the right path in life, nor will they know the Creator, and they certainly won’t understand why they live. Living their life this way will result in feelings of emptiness and pain. Only by following God, using one’s time to do the duty of a created being, pursue the truth, and know God, can one’s life be truly valuable. Just like Job, he gained a real and tangible experience of the Creator’s sovereign arrangements, and through his genuine experience and understanding of the Creator’s sovereignty, Job was able to submit to the Creator’s authority, having cast off the fear of death, “being old and full of days” (Job 42:17). Pursuing like Job makes one’s life truly happy and meaningful. This pursuit can resolve life’s emptiness and the fear of death. I had to follow Job’s example and pursue to live out a meaningful life. After understanding this, I resigned from my job.

After quitting my job, I felt a great sense of liberation. I no longer needed to spend so much of my time on meaningless book knowledge, and I didn’t have to deal with the scheming and deceit present in the workplace. I also had more time to gather with brothers and sisters, to eat and drink God’s words, and to do my duty, and I made some progress in my life entry. In the environment arranged by God, I experienced some setbacks and failures, and I was pruned, which helped me gain some knowledge of my arrogant and self-righteous corrupt disposition, and understand that as a created being, I should stand in my proper place, and learn to be a rational person who does the duty of a created being in a down-to-earth way. My being able to leave my job, follow God, and pursue a valuable and meaningful life was due to the guidance and leadership of God’s words. I am so grateful to God!