I open to you a page of a life for more enlightenment on the above subject.
Once upon a time, there lived a very fine lady in both inner and outward beauty, who had received good home training and spiritual ennoblement growing up. At 25 years of age she got married. After a while she realized her views were not in alignment with those of her husbands'. They were poles apart, virtually two opposites. She kept the marriage on with patience and willingness to tolerate him due to her spiritual maturity.
After a year, they gave birth to a male child and as the years progressed, another child – a girl. Not too long, another girl. The second daughter later passed on after a brief illness due to lack of care from the husband to the child. He was never concerned about his home as much as his work. He was a materialist to the core with no vacuum in him for enlightenment. His gaze was only directed towards the material, while the wife’s gaze was constantly upwards towards all that is spiritual, noble and high. This man trained his only son just like himself to look always only downwards. He taught him that all that mattered was their work and he should never play with it at all. Warning, he also told his son to remember his instructions when he grows to be a man of his own home. The husband of this fine lady was a carpenter. He owned a furniture factory. He took his son always with him regardless of the boy’s choice. Even when the son and himself were both physically exhausted, he still went to work. “This is all my life depends on” he exclaims to the household anytime the wife admonishes him. Talk of the Lord to this man, you are wasting your time. He shuts up anyone who does so. All he cared about was his work and nothing else. He believed he knew better than anyone. He was so self-centered and overconfident in himself alone.
Most times, the wife also calls to advise him that at the rate he was going by overstressing himself, he might likely get injured. However, all attempts proved abortive. She very often spoke to him of the Lord as well. When he was in his good moods, she even tried to teach him how to pray. All was to no avail. Nothing helped this man to change his views to life - very stubborn, rigid and adamant on his views.
Now his son had grown to adolescence and had taken completely after him. This made the mother very sad but she could do nothing about it. She cried daily to the Lord in her heart whenever she was by herself thus “Lord give to me patience enough and renew my strength afresh each day to accommodate the attitude of this man. Amen.” She wondered sometimes why a human spirit will live on this earth plane without any high aim to eternity, but she convincingly and consciously knew there must be a purpose for why their paths crossed each other in the first place. Either to learn patience enough to tolerate another human spirit with unflinching love in her heart regardless of the level he is or to draw her closer to the Lord.
One day, the husband went and never returned on one of the days the son refused to accompany him to work. He told the father that he was too tired to follow him. Fortunately, he did not force the son on this specific day. On his way to work, he was kidnapped by some group of armed men. The mother and son with the sister waited but the man never returned. After several years, the mother remarried to another man. The complete opposite of the first husband. Now her dream of marriage was finally fulfilled in her earth life. Although, she felt a little sad that her new husband had not met her earlier at her best state physically. With her youth gradually fading away before her gaze, she was still thankful to the Lord for this grace.
This new husband tried to teach the grown-up son to look upwards and not downwards. However, the son had become hardened and could not be penetrated. He was so adamant too just as his father was with his view to life and refused to listen to his stepfather or anyone. This kept on until the son fell suddenly ill. The sickness was so severe on him that it nearly claimed his life. This brought him finally to reflect and look upwards at last. Don’t wait until you become ill before you value the Lord. Value Him while you are hale and hearty, for it is gratifying.
After several treatments, miraculously, he survived the illness. Lucky was he after all. He was given a second chance which is a rare case and was able to move in the right direction.
Not many have such opportunity, so never joke with every given time you have. Look always to the Throne of Grace. Get serious and be determined for once to see nothing else important but to value the Lord. Look always to Him. Recognize at last the child of Whom you are. You are a mere creature before the Majesty of the Ruler of all the worlds. Halt for an instance and try to find yourself in the whole of creation, you will realize you are nowhere to be found in comparison to the vast creation. No matter the position you feel you hold in this world, you are insignificant before the Lord of all creation. You are just a simple soul privileged amongst many to journey down to this part of creation. Why then have a swollen head? Why be adamant, stubborn and rigid to your wrong views to life? Come down from your self-imposed height. Be humble in order to be led rightly towards the ideal goal. Be an ideal human being at last. The way it should be before the Creator. Tap spiritually from the treasures of this creation. You are a part of this Grace given to all alike without an exception.
The Lord does not need you. You need the Lord. Commit this to memory I implore you. Be conscious of the responsibility which you bear with the Grace of being allowed as a guest in creation. There is an allotted time for each human being to pass or to fail before the World Judge. Every of your moment in this world holds either spiritual disaster or gain for you because what you sow, you must surely reap. This earth life is a short term of schooling. In human reckoning it is a longtime, but for God’s self-acting Mills in creation a brief span, so hastily wriggle your way-out of this mere. Remember whence you came, from the luminous gardens of the Lord as an unconscious human spirit or spirit seeds from Paradise where you must return if you struggle to make it as a conscious human spirit transformed. That is the purpose of it all, your sojourn here on earth after all.
Stay focused in everything you do. Never get distracted by anyone or anything from the right path leading homewards. Be alert at all times by staying vigilant, watchful, guiding your steps as you move along and in no way harming a fellow human spirit like yourself in the pursuit of your daily needs. All your steps shall be recalled in words, thoughts and deeds before the World Judge after an earthly death at sometime or the other, so tread with caution your steps while you have the chance still living on earth. Forget not the position the Lord wants you to be. Forget not your responsibility towards Him. And what is this responsibility if I may ask? It is simply by observing His Laws in creation and by adhering to His Will.
Remain that child of Whom you are in creation, remain obedient, faithful and loyal to Him. Not everyone can be called a child of God. You must earn it and develop into one. Only those who genuinely love the Lord and are aware of His Laws, obedient to it by doing only His Will can be called a child of God. It requires a great struggle on one’s path to maintain the state of being pleasing before Him. Note that nothing is more important than the recognition of the Lord and your responsibility towards Him.
As there is no room for standstill in creation, never mind if you waver in the struggle, buck-up and move on. Falling but must definitely rise up again. Have a strong belief in the Lord that you are not alone in the struggle, so long as you have a fervent volition for all that is good at all times. Looking calmly always in confidence to the Lord, no harm shall come to you. The help is there for you, you only need to seek for it.
I pray you attract the strength to attain to your peak spiritually before you leave this world, which matters above all material gains. For how else can you thank the Lord for the gift of life he bestowed upon you, if not by being an obedient creature to Him in creation. I wish you this.
Here is a prayer for you until I come your way again: “In the consciousness of your responsibility towards the Lord, may nothing matter to you again in this world except His Will. Amen.”