Inner Gifts That Elevate Us

A 50-YEAR-OLD construction worker was waiting for his train at a New York City subway station. Nearby, a young man stumbled to the edge of the platform and fell onto the tracks just as a train was coming. Making a split-second decision, the construction worker leaped onto the tracks and held the other man down as the train passed safely over them both.

During the Nazi era, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe refused to say “Heil Hitler!” because the German word heil means “salvation.” Their deeply held belief was that Jesus Christ was their Savior and that “there is no salvation in anyone else.” (Acts 4:12) For refusing to idolize Hitler, many were torn away from their home and sent to concentration camps, where they continued to hold to their Christian principles.

These examples show that a human can put the welfare of another​—even a total stranger—​before self and a respect for principles before personal freedom. Does such behavior reflect the notion that humans are simply highly evolved animals? Or does it suggest that we are a higher creation? Think about that as you reflect on the following questions:

● Why do we have a conscience, an inner sense of right and wrong?

● Why do we feel awe when we reflect on the wonders of creation?

● Why do we enjoy music, painting, poetry, and other art forms? After all, they are not essential for our survival.

● Why do people of virtually every culture manifest a desire to commune with a higher being?

● Why do we ask: ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What is the purpose of life?’

● When someone dies, why do we engage in various ceremonies and rituals?

● And why is belief in an afterlife virtually universal? Is our inborn desire to live forever just an evolutionary hoax?

Where Answers Can Be Found

The most reasonable answers to these questions can be found in the most widely  available sacred text in the world​—the Bible. Consider what it says about the following:

Human nature. Humankind was created “in God’s image,” meaning that we have the potential to reflect our Creator’s qualities. (Genesis 1:27) Thus, the first man was a “son of God.”​—Luke 3:38.

Our need to love and be loved. “God is love,” says 1 John 4:8. Formed in God’s image, we need love from the cradle to the grave. If I “do not have love, I am nothing,” wrote the Christian apostle Paul. (1 Corinthians 13:2) He also said: “Become imitators of God, as beloved children.”​—Ephesians 5:1.

Our spiritual need. “Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” (Matthew 4:4) God’s utterances recorded in the Bible reveal his personality and his purpose for us. We cannot live truly meaningful lives in spiritual ignorance.

Why we die. “The wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life.” (Romans 6:23) Sin is a failure to live up to God’s moral and spiritual standards. God, however, has purposed to remove sin, rehabilitate all who love and obey him, and grant them everlasting life in Paradise on earth.​—Psalm 37:10, 11, 29; Luke 23:43.

Do you want to experience life to the full, perhaps developing talents that you never dreamed you could? Do you want to learn more about your Creator and his wonderful purpose for you? If so, then we invite you to examine the Bible, the source of spiritual truth. No other endeavor could give you greater happiness both now and in the future.​—Matthew 5:3; John 17:3.

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FROM INFANCY WE NEED LOVE

“Stimulation and love are the recipes the young brain calls for,” says scientist Gerald L. Schroeder. How important, then, that parents heed the Bible injunction, given especially to mothers, for them “to love their children”!​—Titus 2:4.

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We enjoy many beautiful and pleasurable things that are not essential for life

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Humans need more than food and water. They also need guidance from their Creator