Facing difficulties

There is a little-known story about Kunti, told to us in our ancient books. Once, Krishn granted her a boon to ask for whatever she wanted. What she wanted was strange! She said to the Lord, 'Lord, give me a little suffering all the time, for I have come to realise that in pleasures and enjoyments, You are often forgotten. But in pain and suffering, You are always remembered.'

Kunti was right. Today, many of us enjoy the luxuries of life and lead comfortable lives. When everything goes right, we often forget God, feeling we can manage our lives perfectly well without His help. We may remember the Lord in passing, as we mutter a few prayers mechanically, but we are alright without Him. We get on with our lives. We are too busy, too involved, too wrapped up in our worldly activities to remember Him!

But the moment things start going wrong, the moment difficulties strike, we turn to God with alacrity. We call out to Him to come to our aid. Such painful experiences are essential to our spiritual growth. God wants us to face them and grow in moral and spiritual strength. The best way to face such difficult situations is not merely to accept them, but to cooperate with their inner purpose, fixing our minds and hearts, not on the pain and difficulties we face but on Him who has planned it all for us.