Friday, February 13, 2009

God is at work even in midst of suffering

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited

island.



He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and everyday he scanned

the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.



Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of

driftwood to protect himself from the elements and to store his few

possessions.



One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little

hut in flames with smoke rolling up to the sky.



The worst had happened! Everything was lost!



He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger: "God, how could you

do this to me?" he cried.



Early the next day he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was

approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.



"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.



"We saw your smoke signal!" they replied.



Moral of the story:



It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we

shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the

midst of pain and suffering.



Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the

ground: it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.



You may want to consider passing this on … because you never know who

feels like their hut is on fire today!






"Unselfishness is more paying, only people have not the patience to
practice it. It is more paying from the point of view of health also."

CW I p.33.Complete works of Swami Vivekananda.Volume I.



"Can anyone get
liberation, my child, unless He Himself removes shackles? Have deep faith
in God. Look upon the Master as your refuge, even as children regard their
parents."

TN348.Swami Tapasyananda and
Swami Nikhilananda. Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother;
Life and Conversations. Madras:
Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1977.

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