WHEN YOU CHOOSE PEACE, LOOK AHEAD

 




“No one, who puts a hand to the plow and looks back,

is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62

 

The Kingdom of God - of the world after my death - does not appeal me… even though, many tell me, that it promises the ‘eternal peace’. Well, if I strive sincerely to seek the Kingdom of God of this world – here on earth while I am alive – yes, perhaps, the Kingdom of God of the world beyond and its promise of eternal peace make some sense…

To me, the Kingdom of God lies within me… It is very much here and now… After all, who has seen the tomorrow?

Everything has to be done by me here on this earth, now… while I am still alive, and in my senses…

If peace is important to me, it is important for me to drop all my complaints, once and for all. Once I choose peace, I cannot effort to ‘look back’ in regrets, guilt, blame and resentment… These things and peace cannot go together. Perhaps, Jesus Christ’s strong words (in Luke 9:62) are intended to send across this warning to us:

“No one, who puts a hand to the plow and looks back,

is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Once I choose peace, I have put our hand to the ‘plow’… Once that done, I just cannot afford to ‘look back’… ‘Looking back’ will simply take me on wrong directions… It will simply block my entry into the Kingdom of God -  the peace within me.





This morning, a friend of mine had this meaningful quote to share:

“Healing is what makes you strong;

forgiving is what makes you rise;

and letting go is what makes you better.”

 

I can see the correlation between these words and Jesus’…

Healing, forgiving and letting go – all of them have to happen here on this earth, while I am alive and awake… I choose them just as the farmer choosing to put his hand to his plow… And just as this farmer choosing to look forward in all his earnestness, I, too, have to look forward in all my earnestness…

Only then, I will be fit for the Kingdom of God of this world, and, the world beyond...




 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic.: 1. Roman Otintsov/Pixels 2. Alex Azabache

 

Video: Radhanath Swami 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi...
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How ...
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...