January 23

We Don’t Lose Anything

Don’t think that you can do everything just by your own capacity alone. Know that there is a higher power, a grace, to help you; but you have to sincerely ask for it. Unless you ask, you won’t receive it. Just by asking, you are opening yourself to that power. It’s not that God is waiting for you to ask; God is not miserly. God is already giving, but we do not always receive.

The process of asking is itself opening; you cannot even ask without opening. So open your heart. Even if you can’t open your heart to people, open your heart to God; then you will know how to open your heart to people also. Pray sincerely and trust in a higher power, trust in God. Many, many more things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of. Let us believe in sincere prayer.

What we can achieve by ourselves is very little, but what we can achieve with the help of God is very great. We don’t lose anything by giving ourselves to God. As the great saint Manickavasagar said, “I gave myself to You, God, and in return You gave Yourself to me. Who is gaining? With me You are not gaining anything. Just a useless thing, incapable of doing even a little. I’ll be a burden to You, one more stomach to feed. But with You, I can do many things. If I have You, I have gained everything in the world. So You see, though You call it a fair business deal, You are really losing.”