Facing Discouragement

Everyone, at some point in their life, faces discouragement or even worse. It’s said that “the world lives on hope”. We live on hope, feed on illusion, and are shattered when reality breaks in on us – when we find out how vulnerable we are and that our hopes and expectations do not necessarily bear fruit.

Learning to place our love and hope in our Master and the spiritual harvest he offers is difficult but it can be done. Below are two extracts from the Radha Soami literature showing us how to face life with courage and acceptance of God’s will.

Whatever good or bad happens to you, through whatever person or object, directly proceeds from our loving Father. All persons and objects are but tools in his hand. If an evil befalls you, think it as hid greatest mercy…. Suppose someone ill-treats you without any fault on your part – you should see in this ill treatment the hand of the Master working. He wants you to find out whether your pride has died or not, and how deep has meekness and love taken root in your mind.

All events which appear to be misfortunes are not really so. They come to chasten us, to add to our power of resistance, and leave us better in the end. Be always resigned to his will. What the Father does, he does for the best. In this world, those persons who are engaged in the upward march have constantly to face the inroads of two powerful enemies – mind and matter. They try to put many obstacles in our way. If an untoward event happens, we need not be disheartened. Rather we should rise with redoubled love, and final victory will be ours.

Our Father is love and we are small drops from that ocean of love. This huge machinery of the universe is worked on the eternal principle of love. So try to bring yourself in harmony with this principle of love. The deeper the love for the Master takes root in you, the fainter will be the worldly love in you. His love will displace the love of earthly things.
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh, The Dawn of Light}

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Whatever happened in his life, Sardar Bahadur accepted as his Satguru’s will. Happiness or pain, prosperity or sickness – he would accept everything with an unshaken composure. He never complained about anything; he never appeared to be discontented or disappointed with anything. In 1920, fairly early in his teaching career, Sardar Bahadur was selected by the Imperial Agricultural Service Commission for the Indian Agriculture Service. It was a prestigious post, but even as the letter of appointment was being written to Sardar Bahadur, the post was given to another person because of his political influence. Sardar Bahadur’s friends and colleagues were much upset and urged him to protest against the injustice and apply to the higher authorities for a revision of the decision, but he refused.

The following Saturday, while on their way to Beas, Pundit Lal Chand several times urged him to stand up for his rights. Sardar Bahadur’s only reply was, “My officer is Hazur Maharaj Ji. What has happened has happened at his command.” In Beas, when his brother, Sardar Bhagat Singh, told Maharaj Ji the whole story of Sardar Bahadur’s being unjustly superseded, the Great Master turned to him and said, “What about it Jagat Singh?” Sardar Bahadur replied, “What Hazur has done, has been well done.” Greatly pleased, Maharaj Ji said, “Good, Jagat Singh! This is how a satsangi should be.”
_{Daryai Lal Kapur, Heaven on Earth}