THE ROCK

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.

The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's mind:

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it."

Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more.

"Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter.

What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done.

Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so?

"Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.

Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done.

"I, my friend, will now move the rock."

At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.......

By all means, exercise the faith that move mountains, but it is still God who moves the mountains.



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Invisible Letter

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?"

The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it."

Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care anymore? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?"

The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the University."

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said goodbye to her son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.

"Would you like a lock of his hair?" the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. "I said no at first, but Jimmy said, "Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of Children's mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house.

She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things, back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter.. The letter said:

Dear Mom,

I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say I LOVE YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room, and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls

and stuff girls like, y'know.

Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him.

Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you goodbye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, y'know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him

Where was He when I needed him?'

God said, He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life.

Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore ... and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either.

That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from:

God, Jesus & Me.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

The Tea Cup

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup.They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful."

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup.

There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, "let me alone", but he only smiled, "Not yet."

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around.Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as He shook his head, 'Not yet.'

Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'

Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself.And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you'd have dried up.

I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven,you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.

MORAL:

God knows what He's doing (for all of us). He is the Potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not tempt you beyond what you can bear; but with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

(Author Unknown)



Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Witness to beginnings & endings

The Bhagavad Gita's approach to death is cool and unsentimental. In the second chapter Krishna tells Arjuna: ''For one who is born, death is assured; for one who dies, rebirth is assured; therefore, for what is inevitable, you should not grieve.'' However, human relations are not as simple as this advice may sound.

In life we go through so many different experiences that involve relationships of varying degrees of intimacy. The husband and wife relationship is the closest physically, emotionally and spiritually, in a way symbolising the union of male and female as in the unique figure of Shiva depicted as Ardhanarishwara, half-male, half-female.

Recently my wife passed away in the sixtieth year of our marriage. Having married when we were teenagers, we virtually grew up together, becoming an integral part of each other's lives. As i watched my elder son light the funeral pyre, it struck me that fire had defined our relationship when it began and now after 60 years, when it ended. We were married when we circumambulated the sacred fire seven times, it being witness to the union. When it was time to say goodbye, again, it was fire that bore witness to our separation with her departure.

In Vedic tradition, fire has always been held to be sacred. Aurobindo calls his translation of the Vedic verses 'Hymns to the Sacred Fire'. Several Vedic hymns are on Agni, the interlocutor between the human and the divine, and which, through Yagna, conveyed human aspirations to the higher power. In several western cultures also fire has a special place. The brave Prometheus brought down fire from the heavens to humanity, for which the jealous Gods punished him with eternal torment. The Zoroastrians have their fire temples. The discovery of fire by early humans marked a major milestone in human evolution.

With its dual quality of having potential to remain benign as well as to be destructive, fire has been cherished down the ages. A Rig Vedic hymn to Agnideva says: "Virtuous Agni, we set thee, a sage, around us as a fort, thee triumphant in thy colour, day by day, destroyer of the treacherous foe. Through Agni man finds prosperity, nourishment from day to day, glory and greatest pride in heroes. To thee, Agni, dispeller of night, we come with prayer day by day, offering thee our obeisance.''

Shiva as Nataraja carries fire in one of his hands and is often depicted dancing within a fiery nimbus. The Isha Upanishad closes with the verse: ''O Agni, lead us by the fair path that we may reap the good we have sown. Thou knowest all our deeds. Lord, destroy all sin in us. We salute Thee with our words again and again.''

The outer fire is but a symbol of the spiritual flame that burns in our hearts. Fanning the spiritual spark into the blazing fire of divine realisation is the true, deeper purpose of our existence. However, there are lower dimensions of fire also, as in the insatiable desire for worldly possessions, or negative aspects such as emotionally disturbing manifestations of anger and revenge. Robert Frost's poem titled Fire & Ice says it all: "Some say the world will end in fire/ some say in ice./ From what I've tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favour fire./ Though if it had to perish twice/ I think I know enough of hate/ to say that for destruction ice/ is also great and would suffice.

The contours of our inner life will depend on which dimension of fire we choose to embrace.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Human relationships matter the most in life

To build lasting relationships is not an easy thing to do. Relating to others involves sensitive, complicated, social behaviour. Relationships are fluid. The individual tends to be self-centred, leading us to believe that everything in life is dedicated, and with the assumption that it needs self-gratification every time. We keep looking for comfort zones. This is a grave mistake.

Psychological dependence is a burden, where individuals look for external support. This is dangerous and will take possession of our senses. The ability to function independently and to risk consequences will disappear.

In symbiotic relations, interdependence is inevitable, and any upheaval results in ruptures. This syndrome works superficially to a near clockwork mechanism. It looks to be an ideal state of being, but in reality, it is a pseudo security built on each other’s frailties. These are highly volatile conditions where the mind becomes inconsistent and so can be misled.

An introspection of self and a keener study of the implications with respect to society would enable a clearer understanding.

A selfless mind, with the awareness of other people’s needs and requirements and with an awareness to make others happy, will create a climate of co-option without having to sacrifice one’s desires and aspirations. A strong will and maturity of mind and body can take care of itself, under any circumstance. The ability to decide what went wrong and why it went wrong will show light at the end of the tunnel. Human emotions such as self-pity and self-persecution must not interfere in the process of resolving problems.

Think good for all, do good for all, and thrive in all-round happiness. To live best for yourself, you must live for others, too. To exist in a happy world, you must take care that every living being is taken into confidence. Your friends, neighbours, relatives, all come into the picture. If anyone needs help, do the very best you can, without expecting anything in return. Therein lie profound wisdom and a life of happiness for everyone.

If you do well, the heavens will open up for you, the angels will support you. Your own chemistry will change for the better. Never hurt others by your actions and deeds, the law of nature will turn against you if you do otherwise, it will punish you, unfolding many hardships. You will become a victim for your own mistakes.

We have been given this wonderful planet so that we live in harmony and create meaningful human bondage by loving each other and sharing resources. Most wars and conflicts are the result of selfishness. By being selfless and compassionate, people of the world can come together to face challenges together.

Wherever we go we carry the burden of ego with us. We transact business, interact with fellow human beings, and deal with domestic issues with a complex personality. This dismantles all sensitivity, and lets out a stream of negative energy. We distance ourselves from our true nature.

To have good, healthy human relationships, we need not get too personal and depend on internal security. We can retain relationships without having close attachments, as long as our mind is pure.

There are no short cuts to achieving peace and harmony. A healthy mind is one that is in a state of unbiased, unperturbed calmness, capable of seeing the big picture. The human mind is a divine, sacred experience; we must treasure its potential and explore it for common benefit by living meaningfully.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Would you travel in a car without brakes?

My officer teases me about the various discourses I attend. Some members of his family, too, he says go to satsangs but he sees no inner change in people like us.

"So what if I indulge in eating food that's not sattvic and drink a bit - so long as I don't lose control?" he asks.

Often we feel we are in full control of ourselves but then a moment comes in life when one loses all control. It is the fear of that moment that makes wise men advise us to abstain. But more than one's food and drinking habits, it is emotions like anger, greed and lust that one must fear. In anger we devour the very soul of a person, in greed we take all we can lay our hands on. Trees are being cut randomly because those in control become uncontrollable. They see money in cutting trees, not realising that future generations will suffer.

Due to previous samskaras - habits of past births - we are unable to rid ourselves of anger, greed, lust and jealousy. Sattvic qualities appear difficult to cultivate. It takes great effort. One morning two sadhus sitting on the banks of the Ganga saw a black blanket floating towards them. One of them decided to take the blanket while the other told him not to bother with possessions. The first sadhu stretched his hand but the blanket turned out to be a black bear. His friend asked him to come back. "How can i come back, the blanket has caught me," shouted the sadhu. In the beginning we run after desires but later desires overpower us and the result is suffering. It is not so easy to loosen our grip on desires. Why should we not fulfil desires when we have the money to do so? Don't we earn to fulfil desires?

The answer, says the guru, is because desires are like the rubber band. Once a desire is fulfilled, the mind feels elated and produces many more desires. The mind stretches itself and stops only when it breaks. It is like a car with no brakes. Will you sit in a car if it has no brakes? Desires are like the accelerator and the inner self is the brake. If our inner consciousness has no say then our senses, mind and intellect will not know where to draw the line. A guru is not a spoilsport who does not want you to enjoy life. His wish is that you live, enjoy as well as realise that infinite bliss is got only in the company of the Divinity within.

Only a realised guru can help us find our inner Self. A boy was getting married when his guru asked: ''Are you firm?'' "Yes, of course!" he replied. But at night he found himself going to a woman's house with the intention of spending the night there, unable to resist the temptation. A gatekeeper stopped him saying she was getting ready. Later he said she had guests. And still later when the boy returned, the guard said she was resting and thus the night passed. At dawn he rushed to his guru's hut. The guru who was always awake at Brahma muhurta was still sleeping. Concerned, the disciple woke him up. "I was awake the whole night trying to stop you from succumbing to temptation. Son, you are still not firm." answered the guru.



Satsangs with self-realised saints activate our inner self. Yet it is entirely our own choice to follow the right or wrong path.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Happiness doesn’t happen to us, it happens by us

When we look at people around us who have had relatively smooth and trouble-free lives, we find that some are happy, others unhappy. When we look at those who have had really rough and challenging lives, again, some are happy, others are not.

All this seems to suggest the relevance of an age-old truth: happiness has less to do with circumstances than with our attitude and approach to life.

Happiness does not happen to us, it happens by us. Know that each of us is the creator of our own thoughts and state of mind. This does not mean ignoring the often, painful reality of what happens, but understanding that you can choose your response to something at any given moment.

For example, you can choose to be frazzled and furious with the demands and pressures of a hectic day, feeling miserable about bad luck, colleagues, weather or bad whatever. Or you can call upon the grace of the moment – reminding yourself to stop and breathe calmly for just a few moments, finding some beauty to focus on, something to be grateful for in all this. You can choose between forever brooding on an unhappy childhood, or focusing on healing and moving on.

Happiness is called upon and cultivated, involving unlearning as much as learning. Consider that for a lot of people, unhappiness can be a ‘patterned response’; where we choose a familiar emotional place even if it mostly hurts and brings sorrow. It’s a bit like Shadow, my friend’s rescued puppy; a bruised, starving, sick little creature, he was given a loving caring home and owners. But after all this time, he still twitches, jumps, and scuttles away at the slightest sound or sudden movement. Shadow doesn’t run and hide so much because he has something to be terrified of today but simply because that’s what he has always done.

Experiences from early life can create habits and patterns that become deeply ingrained, influencing our moods and choices. But, unlike that miserable little dog, we do have the capacity to replace acquired fear or sadness with learned happiness. We can realise that blaming the past or others for our misery, even if partially true, can only give us excuses; it cannot give us the happiness we crave inside.

In fact, it usually serves to increase our suffering! It is established that cultivating feelings of happiness results in a self-generating cycle of biological as much as psychological wellbeing. When you carve out time to go for a walk, or just to the nearest window, or to stop and pray, or dance or sing along to a favourite tune, or share moments with special people, ‘happy hormones’ flood your system, keeping you healthy. For this, you need to first accept that happiness is something that is generated from within, and it comes with time and practice.

Happiness, at its core, is about discovering meaning, and counting your blessings, not your woes. Happiness grows in nurturing relationships.

All kinds of intentional relational activities – practices in which people actively choose to reach out and engage with and serve others – can offer a promising route to lasting happiness.

Happiness then is simply about saying a heartfelt “yes” to all of life; to more positive emotions, to more engagement, to more meaning and purpose, to more caring relationships.


Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You