Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/6408

6408 Exhortation to make good use of life on earth....

November 22, 1955: Book 68

Your earthly life as a human being is but a moment compared to the infinitely long time you already had to live through in the creations of earth, even though you were not fully aware of it. But as a human being you live a conscious life and yet of such short duration that it would truly be possible for you to pass the battle for the purpose of which you live on earth.... You had to suffer for an inconceivably long time before because you were bound, without strength and without freedom.... This long time has been an uninterrupted state of torment for you, which you will realize one day.... But as a human being you live in a certain freedom, and you also possess vitality in order to acquire final freedom. Thus you are, as it were, able to create complete freedom for yourselves and only need a correctly directed will to do so. The time on earth is only short, and precisely for this reason you should also muster the will to gain the greatest success from this short time on earth. For only what comes afterwards is the right life for you, but it can be exceedingly glorious and also just as painful.... Nothing too difficult is truly demanded of you humans and you could therefore pass your test of will.... And yet, most people fail because their desire for beatitude concerns wrong aims, because they already want to achieve earthly things which, however, can only be given to them in the spiritual kingdom.... They strive for wrong goods even though they know that they will perish with the death of their body.... They use the short time of earthly life wrongly, although they are taught about their actual purpose of earthly life and about the effects of a wrongly directed will and a wrong way of life. They only allow their free will, which was given to them after an infinitely long time of bondage, to be active in an earthly direction, even though they are constantly admonished and warned by God through His word, through His messengers, who want to help people to attain the right aim.... No matter how short the time on earth is.... people cannot and will not put themselves off until the time afterwards when they could reap a rich harvest if they had cultivated their land well during their earthly life.... But they want to enjoy beforehand, and thus they are content with fruits which bring them death instead of eternal life.... You humans are truly only granted a very short time to test your will, and you could pass the test if only you would earnestly turn to Jesus Christ that He may strengthen and rightly direct your will.... Such a request would truly not be in vain if only it were spoken in the heart so that it can reach His ear.... For every man who wills it becomes free through Him, through Jesus Christ, Who died for it on the cross.... He has promised you an eternal 'life', a life in power and glory, in freedom and light.... Believe His promise and turn to Him when you become weak and the world threatens to dominate you.... Call upon Him for help where your strength is insufficient to resist. For this is the battle you have to fight on earth, that you renounce what the world offers you in order to one day be allowed to occupy the kingdom which offers you imperishable goods and which lasts forever. Believe that it is possible for you to survive this battle on earth if only you call upon Jesus Christ for His support, if you hand yourselves over to Him Who has overcome death.... He will surely lead you to life, for He Himself is the way, the truth and the life....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers