An extract from the book “God
In Quest of Man” by Dada J. P. Vaswani.
Obedience has but one meaning – it is to obey. I may
deliver a hundred harangues on obedience, and write as many volumes on the
subject: but I have not advanced a single step if I have not learnt to obey.
The way of obedience is the way of surrender – the way of which the Gita speaks
in such rapturous terms.
One mark of the man who walks the way of surrender is
that he rejoices in everything that happens. He not merely accepts
sorrows and sufferings which come to him, but actually rejoices in them.
For he knows that the Director and the Controller of Life is God and whatever
is ordained by Him is well for him. Such a man, therefore, goes forth to greet
the so-called difficulties and misfortunes of life with open arms, and to such
a man every “difficulty” becomes a door to higher life, every “misfortune”
leads him on to something better.
What is our condition? If we see some trouble looming
in the distance, our legs begin to tremble, our hearts miss a few beats.
Immediately we fold our hands and pray to God, “Almighty Lord! Rush to our aid!
Take this trouble away from us!”. If only we kenw we would never pray thus, but
in faith and childlike trust we would exclaim, “Mother Divine!” What good dost
Thou hide behind this apparent calamity?”.
Every prayer is good; even the prayer which asks that
troubles may be removed. But the man of surrender prays in a different way. His
prayer is the prayer of Jesus on the Cross, “Father! Let not my will but Thy
Will be done!”. The man of surrender has given himself entirely to God for God
to do what He will with him. And God takes him up and makes him an instrument
of service, a channel of mercy in this world of suffering and pain.
In this agitated, confused age, millions of men and
women ask, “Is life worth living?”. Pointing to the lives of individuals such
as Brother De Paul and others like him (e.g. Mother Teresa) we may well answer,
“The life of surrender is the life worth living!”.
