This will surely take some time but the benefits begin to flow as we progress on this holy journey, writes Ajit Kumar Bishnoi

Why do I insist on this repeatedly in my articlesIJ Because I have tasted its benefits. My sincere desire is that everyone should take advantage of God consciousness. After all, it is a soul-based existence. Everything is meant to be taken advantage of by us souls if we can apply ourselves in an appropriate manner. Don’t we study for 15 years and more just to get a decent jobIJ Then why not make some efforts in this direction and reap what is available to us all. There is no shortage where these favours come from.

Once I realised this fact, I was not going to miss out. like everyone else, I always desire something. We, souls, are very small but our desires are insatiable. What is my experienceIJ God fulfills most of them sooner or later. Yes, they are not fulfilled at my beck and call but they are taken care of ultimately. Same goes for what I wish to secure. Again, we have the same difficulty. We souls are quite helpless in the ultimate sense. Why else would we be fearful of losing what we consider oursIJ God has been very kind to me. I don’t remember having been deprived of what I considered very precious to me after I turned to God seriously.

Then, solutions appear mysteriously when I really need them. I call it a minor miracle. I have lost count of them. What I need to desperately know I find in a spiritual article or some friend brings up the topic. It is amazing. I feel that this is too much of a coincidence. This extends even to physical help. Someone almost always becomes available to me and I am forced to say thanks to God as also to the person concerned.

We, souls — parts of God, and, therefore, God-like — love to be creative. I found my passion in writing. And what does God do for meIJ He empowers me to write on spiritual topics. When I go and sit in our stall at Book Fairs, I feel really special. This is God opening up his bag of bounties for me.

The next thing which I have experienced is the gift of memory. I was in love with the Bhagavad Gita and wished to memorise it. It looked like an impossible task but within a couple of years, I was able to do it. I don’t remember all the verses but I am able to get the right verses whenever I need them. This is incredible mercy from God because I am never away from real answers to whatever is troubling me.

By reading this far, one may get an impression that I am highly privileged due to my connection with God. Yes, I am but that does not mean that I don’t face problems. I do and some of them are big ones. But what happensIJ I am able to cross all of them by God’s grace. This has given me confidence about my future.

The next thing I must mention is the state of mind. Some events leave an imprint on the psyche even though one has come through. God helps in preventing any damage because one knows that such problems do come and go, and God is always there to give a helping hand. This fact is very important to all of us because otherwise it is not possible to be happy; one will always be afraid. Now comes the all-important peace without which there is no possibility of happiness. I am not referring to the happiness which we get from sense pleasures or by getting some desired material objects, but the real thing, which gives satisfaction, patience, acceptance of changes, which inevitably occur in our lives, and the courage to face them. God consciousness gives us that kind of peace.

I hope I have been able to make a convincing case for taking up the goal of becoming God conscious. Yes, it will take some time but the benefits begin to flow as one progresses. This is not like winning an Olympic gold medal after four years.

Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com