Story :
A sage wanted to test the ability of one of his brilliant disciples. He sent him out from the ashram telling that the disciple must develop some qualities as a fruit of his elegance. The span of life-test was ten years and he returned at the end of it. The master asked him to perform as he had learned. Claiming to have learned something most rare, he led the teacher to the nearby river.
Surprising the master, he walked over the water to the other shore and said, ‘Master, this is the fruit of ten years’ tears and toil from my part. I spent whole of my days and nights to learn this crucial art.’ The teacher was silent, he said nothing. Slowly he took some wood pieces and made a small boat. Within a few hours, he too crossed the river with ease. Approaching the disciple he said, “My dear child, why did you waste so much of years in learning such a small art? This could have been done in few hours.â€
Reflection :
Miracles do attract people. But faith does not necessarily include miracles. God has placed in us many natural talents and capacities. Faith-filled life does not mean suppressing them and developing some other faculties. God wants us to be human, not angelic as far as our faith is concerned. But once God anoints us, He might bless us also with extra ordinary opportunities and miracles. We must make use of our talents, opportunities, time and strength of age to serve the Lord. It is not necessary that we should have miraculous powers to serve the Lord.
Every believer wants to grow in faith. But the modern world is a bit confused of what is really the growth of faith. People want fever to be cured today and cancer tomorrow. The next day they want to see the dead rise in order to believe. Even among the servants of God the growth of faith is from small miracles to big miracles. We pray, strive and hope for this kind of a growth.
But I believe that this is not a growth in faith but a decrease in faith. Because we need more faith to believe that the air we breathe is a gift of God than to believe seeing someone raising the dead to life. Miracles easily fill us with faith but ordinary life instances do not.
If we are able to see the hand of God in ordinary situations of life, than in the extra ordinary ones, we have more faith. More faith and fewer miracles we need; less faith and more miracles we require. God is even in charge of our hair getting grey and He has counted them all. Let us grow in faith to the small things in our life. Let us see God’s hand in the trivial incidents and be people of abundant faith.
Faith is not always bringing into reality what we desire. If it was the case, Abraham, the father of the faithful, would not have remained childless until the age of hundred. We know that he had tremendous faith, but no children. He became the father of the faithful by believing God though God had not given him children.
Faith counts in believing that God is in charge, though everything is out of the way.
– – – written by Jinto Mathew
The way u beleive is de way u live