Hidden Grace

Someone once asked the Besht [Ba’al Shem Tov] why it was that sometimes when a man attaches himself to the Lord, in the very middle of his attachment he finds himself suddenly very distant from God. The Besht answered him with a parable: When a father wants to teach his son to walk, what does he do? He takes his son and stands him on the ground in front of him, puts his hands out on either side so that the child does not fall, and the child walks between his father’s hands. When the child comes close to where his father is standing, the father withdraws a little so that the child will come further and further. Thus the child learns to walk. So it is with God. When a man burns with religious fervour and cleaves to God, he withdraws from him, so that the man learns how to strengthen himself more and more in his attachment to the divine.
_{The Holy Name}

The Master is always with you and giving proper help and guidance. If at times things go against your wish, it is for your benefit. For the Master it is to do what he thinks best for you and not what you think best for you. Persevere with love and faith, and you will succeed. Guru Nanak says: “In this path let your foot take a step forward always and never turn your face backwards. Make good in this very life so that there will be no more rebirth.” Says Maulvi Rum: “In this path struggle on and on and do not rest even at the last breath.”
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh, Spiritual Gems}