In light of Christmas, I was reading through some of my favorite bible verses and reflecting on some ways in which I can take inspiration from the life and teachings of Jesus.
This verse stood out:
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and are safe.” -Proverbs 18:10
I was reflecting how this year has brought so much uncertainty and upheaval in the world at large, as well as in my micro world. As paralleled in the teachings of bhakti yoga, this verse from Proverbs illustrates the fact that despite the fleeting, ever precarious nature of this material world, if we take shelter of God by chanting the names of that Divine Source (through mantra meditation) then we will be “spiritually safe”. I mean this in the sense that in taking shelter of the Divine through the sacred practices of mantra meditation, prayer, study and contemplation of sacred texts, etc., we can remain internally calm, collected, and confident on a deep level. Now, this is not simply in some theoretical sense, but something we can tangibly experience through realization that we are spiritual beings, inherently and eternally different from our material bodies, and therefore in that sense transcendental to all of these material uncertainties and dangers.
As Srila Prabhupada, my grandfather Guru, sums up so nicely, “The miseries of this material world serve to indirectly remind us of our incompatibility with dead matter.” This pandemic, what to speak of all of the other insane things happening in this world, can very powerfully serve this purpose. On the one hand, we can choose to see these things that are happening as unfair and causes for suffering and depression. Or, in light of the teachings of Jesus, we can see them as a Divine blessing in disguise in the sense that they have the power to shake us out of our complacency, to not let us get too comfortable here in this material world which is ultimately not our home, and to be a catalyst which can facilitate a deepening of prayer and dependence on God which empowers us to always be spiritually safe. And when we truly reach this state of spiritual safety, we can experience the bliss of our inherent nature as eternal spiritual beings who are intimately connected with God. In the words of Jesus, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) In addition to experiencing spiritual joy, attaining this state of spiritual safety through loving God naturally enables us to develop greater love and compassion towards everyone. Just as by watering the root of the tree all the branches receive nourishment, so by watering the root of our relationship with God we then have more to give to all our other relationships.
So, this Christmas I am praying for the blessings of Jesus that I may utilize all of this uncertainty by taking shelter of God’s names with greater sincerity and prayer, and that in doing so I may be empowered to be of more service and give more love to others.
Now, I’d love to hear from you! Please share any reflections on these thoughts or any of your own reflections during this Christmas holiday.
Yours in service,
DK dasa (dkdasa108@gmail.com)
