By: Fatchuri Rosidin (Director of Inspiration across the Ages)
WE are inhabitants of heaven. Our ancestors, Adam and Eve, were inhabitants of heaven. They were created in heaven. Because they have violated Allah's prohibition, they were expelled from heaven and lived on earth, reproducing until now.
So, this earth is our temporary place. Earth is just a stop. Our terminal is heaven. We are proving ourselves to God that we are worthy to return to our homes in heaven. We prove this by obeying His commands, doing good and spreading goodness on earth.
That is why when we have a dialogue with our conscience about what we are really looking for, the answer always boils down to noble actions and attitudes which are the prerequisites for re-entry to heaven. Whatever our religion, our conscience is always the answer: obey His commands and spread goodness on earth.
But God wants to test how much we really want and try to get back to heaven. Then He created lust which always invites in a direction contrary to the will of conscience. Lust is always oriented towards satisfying short-term desires and sacrificing long-term interests. He always draws us into the world, while our conscience invites us to heaven.
From my experience guiding future planning in more than 100 training classes, I always invite participants to identify their deepest desires; desire that really comes from one's conscience. This is a very important stage. Making future plans without preceding it by finding a voice of conscience will keep us caught up in the pursuit of bus stops. We work hard to reach bus stop after stop without having time to think about where the terminal of our life's journey is.
A resolution and future plans that are oriented only to the world, will leave restlessness in the conscience. Because he knows, this life journey must end in heaven. A journey without being oriented to heaven only takes us in circles from one stop to the next but also doesn't get closer to heaven.
Some people realize their mistakes after dozens or even decades of work, and then suddenly abandon the achievements they have achieved and start the journey back from scratch. Some only realized it when they retired. When they reflect on their life journey, they realize that what they have been after so far is not a terminal.
Let us evaluate our career and life journey. Are our careers getting us closer to heaven? Can our achievements become our portfolio to be worthy of returning to heaven?
* This article is a written version of my training material entitled Move On: The Art of Reaching Success and Living a Happy Life, made into a series so that more people can enjoy it.
* Inspiration Melintas Zaman (IMZ Consulting) is a social enterprise that helps profit and non-profit organizations in the field of human resource development and community empowerment based on spiritual values. (source: www.fatchuri.com)
