God’s Secrets

--Megha Bajaj

Each of us seek god in the outside world forgetting the truth that we can find him within, if only we see through the eyes of our soul.

“Hey, little one,” whispered God in the sleeping child’s ears, “There is something I want to tell you.” Then lowering his voice further he added, “I want to tell you three secrets, which, if you remember, will reveal a splendid life to you.”

She opened her eyes, and smiled. Children have a beautiful way of smiling at just anyone-even if this anyone happened to be a radiant man robed in pristine white. “Will you come with me?” asked God and the little one, in her eagerness to be with this wonderful, shining creature immediately held out one tiny palm, giving him an irresistible toothless grin. God smoothed an unruly curl that refused to leave the little girl’s big, black eyes and said, “Get ready my angel, get ready to know some of the most beautiful secrets of life.” With that God snapped his fingers and the bedroom suddenly dissolved and both found themselves in a beautiful, lush lawn.

On one corner there was a bright red swing, seeing which the child left the warm, big hands of God and ran towards it. She adjusted her small round bottoms on the swing and immediately started swinging. She swung high, she swung low. Higher and higher went the swing and louder and louder became her laughter. God shook his head with indulgent love and came to stand next to her, watching the merry child. He said softly, “Yes, child, yes, I understand your joy. And here, in your dear swing, lies one of the most important secrets that you must remember. Life is a rhythm. Sometimes you will be high, sometimes low. And just like you do now, each time that you are low, simply kick the ground hard and soar once again. A swing, if unmoving becomes boring, don’t you agree?” The Child nodded. “Therefore,” said God, “I have added highs and lows in life too. Each time you go low, remember a high is just moments away…just moments away. Understand child that life is this gentle rhythm between the good and bad times – neither is complete without the other. Cry if you need to when you are low, but laugh just as loudly when you reach high. Know that efforts will have to be made to reach the high…after all, the swing has to go backward, if it has to move forward, right?” The child looked deeply into God’s eyes, as if trying to memorise their shape and colour and nodded. He responded, “Remember my angel…remember this secret of life and no failure will get you too down…” With this he snapped his finger once again.

All at once the child found herself on a beautiful beach, made even more magnificent by the colourful bubbles that floated around. Each bubble that glistened, each one glowed, until it touched the earth and suddenly existed no more. The child ran behind the bubbles – poking her fingers through each one of them. ‘Ping’ they went and then there was only soap water. She looked quizzically at God. God returned her gaze and replied the unasked question, “Ephemeral, splendid ephemeral beauty. Just like you. My child, I have created to be like a bubble – you are to float through life doing all that you can, growing, and finally, going back to your source. The bubble came from the soap water, and soap water is what it will become once it has danced in the winds, played over the seas, met other bubbles of its kind and lived its life.” The Child smiled sweetly. Knowingly! God returned the smile and said, “Just the way there is no sadness when a bubble becomes soap water once again, so you too remember that when bubbles around you go back to their source there is no reason for you to get depressed. And when your turn comes to touch the ground, don’t be fearful, don’t anxious – just enjoy the journey down, the way you enjoyed floating high.” Waving a goodbye to the bubbles the child understood that once again they must move on. Snap went the finger.

This time the child found herself in a thick forest, amidst wilderness. She turned around, wanting to slip her hand into the warm, safe ones of God. But what was this? There was no God around. The white being had disappeared and she was all alone. A wail slipped from her throat. She sat down, bewildered, scared and trembling. The darkness around her seemed to bite her, the silence seemed to scream. She began to cry. But no God appeared. She screamed, she shouted but to no avail. When nothing worked – she finally got up, began to walk through the forest. Sometimes she slipped, sometimes she bumped her elbow against the trees and yet she kept walking. She held the image of God in her heart, the sound of his voice, the look in his eyes, the curve of his loving smile and walked, for what seemed like hours, but was just a few minutes when at a distance she saw home. With her heart beating wildly with joy she ran towards the door and into the arms of God and cried like she had never cried before.

God held her tightly against his heart. She wept, she screamed, she laughed. After a while, somewhat comforted by the steady rhythmic beats within his chest, she sniffled and looked up. He caressed her fair and kissed her cheeks and held her like a mother would hold a newborn baby. And finally when the tears stalled, he said. “This was the last lession. I am sorry my child, you thought I had left you for a while. But child, if you have to learn to find your own feet, if you have to learn to find your own solutions, for some time at least, I must make you believe you are all by yourself. I was with you all the time – just not in body. I must make my presence less conspicuous so that you become more independent, you recognize how much you are capable of, you understand just how much you can achieve. And after the thrill of it all, you will come home and find me. But before that, you must find yourself and for that I must make you believe you are alone.”

Holding her head against his chest he murmured, “My Child…if you forget all but this, that I am with you, every moment, every instance in some form or the other, nothing else will matter.” Her troubled eyes told him that she was not convinced. If she could not see him, how could she believe he was watching over her? If she couldn’t hear his voice, how would she know he was guiding her? If she couldn’t touch him, how would she believe he was carrying her through all the dangers?

He put her head in his lap, gently, lovingly soothed her wild curls and said softly,

Upon the stillness of a cloud-filled afternoon, the child asked of the Mystic: “Where is God, the Creator, and how will I find the sacredness of His Being?” And the Mystic answered: “Once upon a thousand years ago did a man seek the answer to your very question. He searched the mountains for the one called God; but he only saw the green and yellow blanket of distant trees. He walked along the ocean shore, to know the Creator of Life; but all he heard was thee rhythmic roar of the tide’s own song. He reached out for the sky, pleading for a sign of His presence; but he only felt the vastness and timelessness of the starlit night. Oh foolish man that he was, to search for God with the eyes of his mind; when He was forever with him, when seen through the eyes of his soul.

“I am with you….with you forever….and to remember this very fact…not as words, but as an experience, you must go through this wonderful journey called life – until at the end, we come back to the beginning…” and with those final words, and final caress, God disappeared.

Source: Frozen Thoughts/May 2008/P.66