Grace - Recognize it

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Ramlal, a great devotee of Narayana, lived in a village. He was also very proud

of his devotion. Suddenly the village was inundated by flash floods and everyone

took shelter on roof-tops and top of trees. Ramlal also took his position on a

roof-top and was telling his friends that God will come Himself and save him. He

also started singing bhajan etc. As the time passed, some motor boats came with

a rescue team and started evacuating people slowly. All left and Ramlal did not

want to go saying that God will save him. Then a small country boat came and the

boatman offered to take Ramlal to safety. Ramlal was still very adamant and said

“who are you to help me out, God is there and I will be taken care of by Him”.

The man went away. One more boat came with the same offer to Ramlal, but Ramlal

stayed firm in his place. Flood waters were entering the roof already and now

Ramlal is almost “neck-deep” in water. Fear slowly gripped him and he cried “Oh

lord have mercy on me and come and

save me”. The water swallowed him and he was fighting for his life and then he

heard a voice “Oh Ramlal I came three times, with boats, and you never bothered

and you wanted me to come personally” and “how can I come in person and why

should I come when I sent you help more than once”.

 

· * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Lord’s Grace is flowing everywhere, all the time, but we fail to recognize it

and see it. We expect God to come in the same way as we want Him to come.

Surrendering is in one way recognizing the grace already showered on us by

Easwara and acknowledging it instead of nurturing beggarly attitude all the

time.

 

Some Bhaktas even boast that their God will come as and when they like. Is it

Bhakti? Bhakti is unconditional and total love for the Giver for the Lord who

showers his grace on all of us.

 

One great Bhakta asked God, “Oh God when I walk I always find one more pair of

foot-prints along with mine. Whose are they?” God said “They are mine as I

always walk along with you.” Suddenly there was a mad bull running towards him

and at that moment, he noticed that the extra pair of foot-print vanished.

Somehow, he was not attacked by the bull. He asked the Lord again “Oh what

happened to you, you were not with me when the bull came to attack me, as I

noticed only one pair of foot prints. Did you also run away on seeing the mad

bull?” God laughed and said: “What you saw was my foot prints and I carried you

and saved you when the bull was about to attack you.”

 

That is how the grace flows. We fail to see that and acknowledge that.

 

Hari Om

 

 

 

 

 

Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs