Guiding Light: Miracles Can Happen In Your Life

A steamer, sailing over the sea, was, one night, suddenly caught in a squall. The ship tossed violently, awakening the passengers. They became nervous and were terribly afraid of the storm. Some of them shrieked; a few prayed.

On board the steamer was the captain’s 8-year-old daughter. The noise awakened her out of sleep, and she asked, “Mamma, what is the matter?”

Her mother told her that a sudden storm had struck the ship.

“Is Papa at the helm?” asked the frightened child.

“Yes, Papa is at the helm,” answered the mother.

Hearing this, the little girl snuggled back into her bed and, in a few minutes, was fast asleep. The winds still blew and the waves still rolled and the ship still tossed, but she was no longer frightened because her father was at the helm.

The Heavenly Father is always at the helm, and though storms may blow and thunders strike, He is in control of our lives, and we have naught to fear or worry. If only we trust Him, He will either quieten the waves or else give peace to our hearts.

As we proceed on the pathways of life, we face different types of weather—stormy and smooth, wild and mild. There are times when we have to face difficulty and danger, ignominy and insult, disease and death. We must not forget that such experiences come to us not without a purpose.

Calling upon God for help in times of trial and tribulation may appear to be a selfish act. All our acts, in the beginning, have to be selfish—until we grow in the spirit of detachment and learn to watch, as spectators, the ever-unfolding drama of life. If to rely upon God is to be selfish, it is far better to be “selfish” than to be “egoistic” and rely upon one’s own limited powers.

The one lesson we all need to learn is utter dependence upon God. Everything else will follow. We must turn to God for every little thing we need—until, one blessed day, we find that we need nothing: our one and only need is God!

Dada J P Vaswani was a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader.