God Is Present
Two young boys boarded a bus to Chamba, a quiet, picturesque township in the Himalayas. They were not familiar with the region; they were out on an adventure. As the bus wound its way through the steep and narrow road, the terrain became more and more beautiful. The Pine and Chinar trees laden with pinecones and orchards full of rosy red apples bedecked the hillside as gems on a queen’s gown. There was a nip in the air and Jaswant zipped up his jacket as he nudged his sleepy friend, to wake up and bask in the welcome warmth of the afternoon sun seeping into the blanket of the cool mountain air.
A fellow passenger asked him, “Going to Chamba?” “Yes,” said Jaswant. “Where are you staying?” asked the stranger. “We’ll find a hotel,” replied Jaswant carelessly. The stranger smiled mysteriously. Soon it was time to alight from the bus. As the bus entered the quaint looking, sleepy town of Chamba, the stranger handed a slip of paper to Jaswant and said, “If you need help, you can look me up at this address.”
Without giving a second glance to the scribble on the slip, Jaswant pocketed the paper. They looked for a hotel, all over the small town and the market place but in vain. A shabby restaurant owner said, “You can sleep on the open terrace of my restaurant.” But they didn’t fancy the idea of being dinner for the mosquitoes. By evening, it had become chilly and Jaswant started sneezing, “Oh God!” he said, “Where shall we go now?” He dug his hand into his pocket to take out his hanky, and along with it, came the little slip of paper. ‘Yes!’ he thought, ‘the man on the bus! We’ll go to him!’
By the time they were able to locate the little cottage on a weather beaten dirt track, it was pretty late in the evening. Tired and hungry, they knocked on the door cautiously. The ‘familiar’ stranger, who smiled knowingly, opened the door almost immediately. Before the two boys could say anything, he said, “There is food for both of you on the table there and on the door to your right, is your room, I have prepared two beds for you. It’s time for me to sleep now. Good night.” They looked at him, in amazement, “But we didn’t tell you that, we would come to you!” “I know,” he said, “but I was expecting you, I knew you would come!”
This is the touch of God. This is how God makes His presence felt. If you can feel God in every thing pleasant that occurs around you, soon the unpleasantness shall cease to be. Would you leave your child uncared and unprotected in the night, when you love him so much?
Well… so won’t He!