Birth of Grace Thursday April 24th, 2014 On the hallowed occasion of Sri Sathya Sai Aradhana Mahotsavam
What obstacle can there be if you have believed with all your heart that at every moment, at every step... in every circumstance God pours His grace upon you. There is nothing to fear... But the moment the mind fears that it is wasting its time in the effort of faith grace becomes blurry and slowly distant....
A small child asks his mother, "Dearest mother I fear the thunder... I wish to run to you each time the lightning flashes its light... But when I see the storm, holding your hand, all seems well... even the storm that suddenly came seems to be beautiful to witness, if you are there with me..." The mother smiled and said, "My sweet one who I love more than myself... I shall protect you until the very end... The storm only touches the one that gives up faith in his self and gives up the grace of His protection... Such must be the story of every life that endures the storm of doubt and fear with the heart of faith... God loves and protects you more than you can ever think and imagine... You have to hold His hand... You have to hear His gentle voice from within your heart... You have to pray louder than the voice of doubt... The greatest upliftment comes when you have endured the storm silent in complete faith... To experience stillness in the Self and be untouched by the movement of the storm is... the grace of God... The one that thinks the grace of God to be the most perfect circumstance is a fool that carries his dreams as his life and his desires as his intellect...
Things sometimes come to fruition immediately... At other times it takes unending moments of faith... And then at other times you see before you something you had never foreseen... But we are not here to see and understand “why is this happening” and “why is that not”... If the fruit is before you it is for you to eat... If the seed is before you it is for you to plant... If the flower is before you it is for you to enjoy... If a sapling is before you it is for you to observe its energy to grow... If a large tree is before you it is for you to take under it shelter and protection... and if you see a plant withered and waiting its end, it’s for you to save it with whatever you have and realize that nothing comes to stay forever... Even the dying one must leave with the dignity of compassion... Whatever we see around us are lessons of divine truth... Hence we must not fear what is coming... what is happening... what tomorrow will be... We have to realize that every lesson of life brings to us the gift of wisdom and higher thinking... It is this pure thinking that shall reveal to you the presence of God in every atom of you and this Universe...
The one that tastes the seeds and from it wishes to enjoy the sweetness of the fruit that it will one day bear is living under the influence of delusion... Delusion is the laziness of the weak mind that wishes everything to appear before itself simply by a wishful thought... Such a weak mind that wishes to receive everything by doing little, fears moment to moment... Every little step is an obstacle for him... every little effort is injustice... and each moment becomes a moment of test for him... he complains of everything other that the weak mind that he himself fosters by wishing nothing to change... and all to happen immediately so he can receive the fruit as soon as he had planted the seed... Such a weak mind experiences faith only for a moment and the doubt for cultivating faith remains within him for his lifetime...
An obstacle is the seed of faith... Difficulty is only a perception of the mind... As the mind becomes stronger... as the thought becomes stronger... as the thought becomes more selfless... that which we had only thought was difficult becomes an experience of wisdom and strength... Faith is crossing the river in which the crocodiles of doubt swim... You sometimes have to ride on the back of the crocodile while the crocodile is unaware and looking for you as its prey... You have to escape your crocodile of doubt by riding on the strength of faith... Faith is not being blind... In fact faith is borrowing the eye of God to see yourself and this whole world as Him...
You cannot fear at every moment if your faith is strong... What kind of faith is that? Faith has to face every fear without ever fearing faith itself... The one that goes to hunt the tiger is fully aware he is going to face the tiger... He is ready to face its rage... He is fearless to conquer his fears... One cannot go looking for a tiger and return with a mouse... That was not faith out to hunt for fear... It was fear in the garb of faith out to hunt down faith...Faith is promising yourself your own Self, sincerely and purity... When you begin to deceive yourself even slightly fear is born...
What good can happen to the one that says nothing good can happen to me... Negative energy breeds more negatively... You must always think good... speak sweet and do whatever you can do with compassion... That positive energy shall draw you like a magnet to God... His energy... His presence... God is always ready to give you all of Him... He does not judge you... He is ready to turn you to gold if you are ready to be cleansed and put you into the fires of transformation... If you hold on to the fear of being transformed you can never be... Self-transformation does not occur with a plan slowly... It occurs spontaneously and instantly... Surrendering yourself to God is placing yourself in His Hand while you watch with joy His other Hand pave your way to His glorious miracles...
This very moment is the moment of miracles... Offer the mind that wavers at His feet... Know that as you have done that the light of God is shining from every atom of you... You are looking for peace... Peace does not come when you think of peace and go seeking it... Peace is here... now... Peace is instantaneous... It reveals itself within you the moment you believe that you are in God and surrounded by God... Nothing in this world O Child can touch you... You are always pure and blemish less... All worldly wealth you carry shall one day disappear as it had suddenly appeared... What will be left will be Your Self... That Self always carried within itself God's grace... That grace was, is, and shall be the only truth... That grace is always with you...
Only the fool says I cannot while The wise one says I must...
Only the weak one gives up while The wise one tries over and over...
Only the angry one blames while The wise one takes the responsibility...
Only the greedy one wishes, wants, and grabs While the wise one gives, forgives, and serves...
Only the proud one demands and controls While the wise one offers, guides, and inspires...
Only the jealous one steals and robs with his eyes While the wise is happy when anyone received joy...
Only the doubter challenges faith... The wise one doubts the fear and carries the faith...
Only the fool says it’s all over while The wise one says it’s begun and I am ready... Always ready...
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