Why is it that though you see in retrospect how valuable these experiences are, when you’re in the middle of a battle, the pain can be so overwhelming you forget what’s really going on?
Delusion is very powerful. It may seem like the issues get tougher the deeper on the path you go, but with each challenge you gain knowledge, wisdom, and strength. And you get rid of one more of those layers of delusion that cover the soul. In a sense, you leave your “self”—your little, limited ego-self—behind. Each experience brings you closer to the point where you can do whatever is asked of you to the best of your ability for God—without a shadow of a doubt about your capacity to carry it out. Ultimately you become profoundly grateful for everything that happens to you because you realize it’s all for your higher good.
So we must pay attention to every aspect, every detail of what happens to us, and embrace all of it—good/bad, big/little . . .
Once I was standing with Paramahansaji in the drawing room of the Encinitas hermitage. He saw a tiny white thread—it was almost imperceptible—on the carpet about ten feet away from where he stood and asked me to pick it up. I did, of course, and nothing more was said. When I thought about this later I realized the incident was symbolic, that he was teaching me not to overlook anything, that I must attend to even the tiniest detail.
At the same time we should not be too much of a perfectionist about the things of this world or too analytical about our experiences. Deal with what is appropriate for the moment; then take the next step. We have to use our intelligence, but keep in mind that it is only an instrument—and a limited one at that.
When I first came to Mt. Washington, I regretted that I hadn’t been more attentive in school, hadn’t obtained a better education so that I could more fully serve the work of the Self-Realization Fellowship. I decided I would get some books and study hard on my own to improve myself. A few days later I was standing with several other disciples close to where Paramahansaji was talking to a group of monks. At one point in the midst of his conversation he turned his gaze on me and said, “Books won’t give you what you want.” Then he went on talking to the monks, without missing a beat. His message: put God first and “all these things shall be added unto you”—wisdom, knowledge, whatever you truly need.
The Bible says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God.” These are not just lovely words. The scriptures abound with spiritual law. The truth is that everything that happens to you is designed to free you from the limited consciousness of the ego and reunite you with God. You don’t have to be afraid of anything, because the Lord gives back a lot more than He takes. His will is always for the good. Always. When you realize this, you are indeed beginning to understand “the truth that shall make you free.”
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