The Gift From God

It was a warm summer day when God placed it in her hands. She trembled with emotion as she saw how fragile it appeared. This was a very special gift that God was entrusting to her. A gift that would one day belong to the world. Until then, He instructed her, she was to be its guardian and protector. The woman said she understood and reverently took it home, determined to live up to the faith God had placed in her.

At first she barely let it out of her sight, protecting it from anything she perceived to be harmful to its well being; watching with fear in her heart when it was exposed to the environment outside of the sheltered cocoon she had formed around it. But the woman began to realize that she could not shelter it forever. It needed to learn to survive the harsh elements in order to grow strong. So with gentle care she gave it more space to grow… enough to allow it to grow wild and untamed.

One day she became aware of how much the gift had changed. It no longer had a look of vulnerability, about it. Now it seemed to glow with strength and steadiness, almost as if it were developing a power within. Year after year she watched as it became stronger and more powerful, and the woman remembered her promise. She knew deep within her heart, soon it would be time to let it spread its wings. One day, as God commanded, she let loose her apron strings and prepared herself for sending him away.

The woman felt a little sadness, for she would miss its constant presence in her life. With heartfelt gratitude she thanked God for allowing her the privilege of watching over the precious gift for so many years. Straightening her shoulders, she stood proud, knowing that it was, indeed, a very special gift, one that would add to the beauty and essence of the world around it. And the mother let her child go.

Baba says, “Parents must feel that they are servants appointed by the Lord to tend the little souls that are born in their households, as the gardener tends the trees in the garden of the Master.”