Discipleship - A Reflection

The First Few Years
In the first few years of initiation, the disciple is excited to wake up every morning and give time to her Master. She makes sure she schedules her day in such a way that her meditation is not missed. The spark of obedience is so alive. The enthusiasm with which she does seva, and spends her day is all centred around that love. Like a lover entranced, a glimpse of her Master makes her day like no other.

As Time Goes By
As time goes by, however, the disciple’s life becomes somewhat routine. She drags herself out of bed after turning down loud rings of the alarm clock, snoozing repeatedly. She tries her best to sit but thoughts and checklists bombard her during her simran. Seva has become part of her life, so it is nothing to get excited about anymore. She does her meditation and her seva just to make her Master happy.

So the disciple often ponders where that spark has gone. But what she does not realize is that her act of little obedience is love. We sometimes think of love as only the excitement and the roller coaster heartbeats, but love is so much more than that. It is the selfless act of serving the person we love. Of doing anything no matter what our state of mind just because we know he or she would appreciate it. The disciple’s going to sleep early because she knows she needs to get up early, even if she wants to enjoy a few more episodes of her favourite sitcom, is dedication. The daily meditation, even if it is a struggle, is love, because that is the one thing the Master wants.

Somewhere in Between
The Master knows how quickly our minds get dissipated in the whims of the world, and so he gives us his little goodies - just as a father comes home and sees his kids all over the place, trying to do their homework and be good children, but not actually being able to achieve much. The father knows that it is time for love and attention, and that is what he gives to them. Our Master does just the same. We enjoy it when it is packaged in the form of a new seva opportunity, an extra visit to the Dera, or when our circumstances are made better to meditate. In actual fact, anything that makes us feel his presence more is his gift of love.

We remember the love of our parents when we were young, and we smile. We think about the love we share with our spouses, and we are grateful. We cherish our kids with pride and happiness. Then, we combine all of this, and we are still unable to fathom the love we feel from him.

Rising in His Love
With that love, there is little left of us - maybe only enough to do what we have to do to make him happy. Every day is not the same, but we are focused and committed. He forgives us, scolds us, or pampers us when we are slacking, and that is all part of his love. We live in the bliss of what he gives us within, and little by little, we rise in his love.