Human beings detest pain and seek pleasure, avoid worry and look for joy. This is because God the Parent created us with the intention of having us live the Joyous Life.

Nevertheless, there are many in this world who are tormented by illness, pursued by misfortune, and beset by family troubles and adversity, who grieve that their lives are so wretched. They grieve because they do not know of God the Parent or of God's deep parental love.

God the Parent is the Parent of all humankind. But people are not aware of this fact or of the fact that human beings are therefore all brothers and sisters who should revere God as their Parent. They mistakenly think that they exist by their own power and conduct their lives as if only they themselves mattered. Through their self-centered actions, they injure and cloud the minds of others. Their blunderings disrupt the peace of the world. Further, by so doing, they unknowingly injure and cloud their own minds.

Because Tsukihi sees a dreadful and dangerous path opening before you step by step,

Know that Tsukihi worries and is anxious to tell you quickly about that path.

Ofudesaki VII : 7-8

God the Parent takes pity on us, the children, who stray unaware onto dangerous paths, and gives us a sign in the form of illness or trouble. This is in order that we might correct our misuses of mind arising from human thinking by learning of our true Parent and of the divine intent that we lead the Joyous Life.

Illness and pain of whatever kind do not exist. They are none other than the hastening and guidance of God.

Ofudesaki II : 7

Illness and pain throughout the world: you do not know that these are the road signs or guidance of God.

Ofudesaki II : 22

Thus, all illnesses, calamities, and troubles are expressions of the warm parental heart of God to urge our self-reflection and are none other than guidance out of love to lead us to the Joyous Life.

But those who do not know of this deep love of God the Parent deal only with the surface of their sufferings and, by the shallowness of human thinking, are apt to blame others for their misery, to curse the heavens, to tire of life, or to dream of a better life in the world beyond.

With you humans, also, your children are dear to you. Think of this and ponder, please.

Day after day, the concern of the Parent is only about the means to save you.

Ofudesaki XIV : 34-35

All children in the world are equally dear to Me. Though there is no discrimination whatsoever,

Listen! There will be no help if your mind is in error. That is why I am giving you My care step by step.

Ofudesaki XV : 69-70

Revealing to these people that the divine parental love is sincere and impartial, God the Parent teaches that people should ponder over their love for their own children to understand God's love for them.

Truly, there are no parents who do not love their children. Because of their concern for their children's welfare, there are times when they admonish their children severely. By understanding this human parental love, we can appreciate God's loving care, even in its severity, and become filled with gratitude.

In this way, even our hardened minds can be opened, allowing us to be bathed in God's benevolent light and our minds be renewed so as to accord fully with the parental heart of God. When our minds are thus settled, God the Parent will accept our minds at once and will show us free and unlimited workings. This is what God the Parent longs to do.

If you truly resolve your mind and pray to Me, I shall grant you My free and unlimited workings at once.

Ofudesaki VII : 43

Whatever mind you may have had until now, replace it, even in the span of a night!

If you truly replace the mind in its entirety, Tsukihi will accept it, too, at once.

Ofudesaki XVII : 14-15

Due to the shallowness of the human mind, however, even after we have received divine guidance and resolved our minds, as time passes we are apt to weaken and simply go through the motions of faith. Often we drift again into being contrary to the will of God in our thoughts and actions without realizing that we are doing so....

...in order to encourage us to overcome the laxity to which we are prone even after we have entered a life of faith and to further us toward our spiritual maturity, God the Parent presents us with illness or troubles from time to time as opportunities to replace our minds. When we awaken to this benevolent parental love and respond by strengthening our resolve and pursuing our lives of faith, we shall be blessed with the truth of everlasting joyousness.

Thus, as the truth of the teachings settles in our minds and we make steady progress in spiritual growth, we deepen our appreciation of the benevolence of the parental love, which guides us by reducing a great misfortune to a small misfortune and a small misfortune to no misfortune at all, and we shall be able to rejoice in things we could not rejoice in before and find happiness in situations where we were unhappy before.

(This article was excerpted from The Doctrine of Tenrikyo, 45-49.)