Thought for the Day - 9th February 2013 (Saturday)

You are as distant from the Lord, as you think you are; as near Him, as you feel you are. The distance from Me to you is the same as the distance from you to Me, is it not? You complain that I am far from you, though you are approaching nearer and nearer. How can that be? I am as near you, as you are near to Me! Nearness to the Lord is won by Devotion, which cannot be steady until you get rid of the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’. Look upon joy and grief as teachers of hard-work and balance. Grief is a friendly reminder, a good taskmaster, even a better teacher than joy. The Lord grants both protection and punishment – for, how can He be the Lord, if He does not insist on strict accounting and strict obedience?

Engkau merasa jauh dari Tuhan, apa yang engkau pikirkan, demikianlah jadinya; jika engkau merasa dekat dengan-Nya, maka demikianlah yang engkau rasakan. Bukankah jarak antara Aku denganmu sama dengan jarak antara engkau dengan-Ku? Engkau mengeluh bahwa Aku jauh dari-mu, meskipun engkau sedang mendekat semakin dekat. Bagaimana itu bisa terjadi? Aku dekat denganmu, seperti engkau dekat dengan-Ku! Kedekatan dengan Tuhan dapat dicapai dengan Devotion (bhakti), yang tidak bisa stabil sampai engkau menyingkirkan perasaan 'aku' dan 'milikku'. Anggaplah sukacita dan kesedihan sebagai guru dari kerja keras dan keseimbangan. Kesedihan adalah pengingat yang baik, pemberi tugas yang baik, bahkan guru yang lebih baik daripada sukacita. Tuhan memberikan keduanya, perlindungan dan hukuman - karena, bagaimana Ia menjadi Tuhan, jika Dia tidak menuntut tagihan dan kepatuhan yang tepat?

-BABA