HOW TO OVERCOME TENSIONS AND HAVE PEACE OF MIND - 6

[Guest guest]

HOW TO OVERCOME TENSIONS AND HAVE PEACE OF MIND - 6

 

 

So do not anticipate trouble. This takes us to practical suggestion No. 3:

 

Develop faith! Cultivate faith! What is faith! Faith is not blind. Faith is

seeing with the eyes of the heart. Even as, with our physical eyes, we see the

beauties of the surrounding universe, even so with the eyes of the heart we see

several things. Alas, with many of us, the eyes of the heart are closed. When

these eyes open, we will be able to see that all that has happened has happened

for the best, all that is happening is happening for the best, all that will

happen will happen for the best. There is a meaning of mercy in all that

happens. For God has a plan for every one of us, and there is a purpose in

every little thing that happens to us. The man of faith, therefore, rejoices in

everything that happens to him. He accepts everything as it comes to him, and

moves on, - ever onward, forward, Godward! The great American poet, Whittier,

said: “When

faith is lost…the man is dead!”

 

There is a story of two people who were ship-wrecked. They found themselves on

an island, which was uninhibited. Out of branches and leaves of trees they

built for themselves a cottage. One of the two men was an unbeliever: the other

was a devout soul. The latter urged that there was good in all that had

happened. The unbeliever scoffed at him. But both of them managed to get along

with each other.

 

Every day, they would go out to the sea-shore and wave their hands of

handkerchiefs, in the hope that some passing steamer would view them from afar

and come to their rescue. Every evening, they returned to their cottage. One

evening, they found that the cottage had caught fire and had been reduced to

ashes. The unbeliever cursed the elements. The man of faith said to him:

“Friend, be not depressed. Surely, there must be some good in this too! God

must have meant well by us!” The unbeliever felt exasperated and shouted: “You

and your God! I shall have nothing to do with you both!”

 

However, the next morning, as they went o to seashore, they found a small

steamer waiting for them. The Captain of the boat told them that the previous

day he had seen smoke rising from the island which made him feel that there

were some who might need his help.

 

Faith is seeing with the eyes of the heart. The man of faith knows that whoso

surrenders himself to the Lord is always taken care of. The Lord provides where

He guides. And His ways are most mysterious.

 

I read concerning a woman who lives in far-off England. She lost her husband and

whatever little he left was spent on his funeral expenses. The widow, who had a

son, had to work hard to earn her livelihood. One day, she received an old bill

for a large amount. She remembered that the bill had been paid for already, but

could not find the receipt. She prayed to God: “Lord! Thou knowest the bill has

been paid for. If I cannot produce the receipt, I may be asked to pay the amount

over again and my coffers are empty!”

A few days later, the bill-collector came and threatened to sue her in a court

of law, if the amount was not paid within a week’s time. In the heart of the

widow was the prayer:

 

Deena bandhu deenaa naath,

Meri dori tere haath!

 

Just then, a butterfly entered the room through a window. The widow’s son chased

the butterfly. It sat on the back of a sofa and crawled underneath. The little

boy wanted the butterfly, and she asked the bill-collector to help in shifting

the sofa. As the old piece of heavy furniture was shifted, a slip of paper

dropped down. The picked it up and her eyes were wide open with amazement, as

she found that it was the receipt which she searched. God honoured her prayer.

The widow prayed: O Lord! Thou art, and Thy works are ever the works of mercy!”

Truly, God’s ways are most mysterious, and those that turn to Him never lack

anything.

 

-to be continued

(Author: Sri J P Vaswani)

 

TAMASO MA JYOTIRGAMAYA….

 

O foolish one, do not thank God for loving you. He cannot do otherwise. Thank

Him for having ignited in your heart love for Him. Let it grow, from more to

more, until it burns away all self, only God remains!

 

Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term'