A Conversation with GOD
I invited God to my podcast last night.
Thankfully, He accepted my invitation and chose to spend some time with me.
Here is how the conversation unfolded:
RT: God, why is there so much suffering all around us? Can’t You remove people’s suffering?
GOD: Yes, I can, and I am doing so all the time.
RT: Then why are people still suffering? What do they need to do for their pain and suffering to end?
GOD: People have to queue up before Me, in order of the severity of their suffering. One by one, I lessen their pain and consequent suffering.
RT: But most of the people I know who are going through really difficult times have not yet benefited from Your grace. Why is that?
GOD: Remember, however severe a person’s pain or suffering may be, there are always at least 10 million people ahead of them in the queue, whose suffering is even more severe. They will have to wait for their turn.
RT: Is there a way they can jump the queue and have their interview with You earlier than scheduled?
GOD: Yes, there is.
If, instead of focusing only on their own or their family’s pain and suffering, they start praying for the suffering of those ahead of them in the queue, they automatically move forward for their interview with Me.
RT: What else can people do to get an earlier interview?
GOD: No matter what problems a person may be facing, they should always look for ways to help others whose problems may be more severe than their own.
Such a helping attitude, especially when offered without expecting anything in return, and preferably to people outside their own personal network, earns them something I call a “Golden Visa.”
RT: What else can help people tide over their suffering?
GOD: A large part of people’s suffering comes from constantly comparing themselves with others.
When they see someone who appears to be much better off than they or their family, they begin to feel inadequate, unhappy and deprived.
I call this “self-imposed suffering.”
Stop comparing.
Every journey is different. You have no idea what difficulties the person you think is better off may be facing today—or what challenges may await them tomorrow.
So, instead of envying them or wishing you had what they have, say a silent prayer for their well-being.
RT: So, God, are You saying that helping others and praying for others can actually help us overcome our own suffering?
GOD: Precisely.
Sometimes, the quickest way to move ahead in the queue is to stop thinking about your place in the queue, and rather help the person standing in front of you.
RT: God, one question still troubles me. Why do good people sometimes suffer so much, even when they have done nothing wrong?
GOD: Suffering is not always a punishment, just as prosperity is not always a reward. Life is not an examination where every question has an immediate explanation. What matters is what a person becomes while going through the difficult phase.
RT: But what if someone is already suffering and still chooses to help others? What does that achieve for them?
GOD: It may not immediately take away their suffering. But it prevents suffering from taking away their humanity.
RT: And finally, God, what do You think is the real purpose of life?
GOD: To live it, to learn from it, and to leave behind some goodness.
You need not change the whole world.
If, during your journey, you can make even a few lives a little easier, a little happier or a little more hopeful, you have not lived in vain.
RT: So, perhaps the real way to get ahead in Your queue is not to ask, “When will my suffering end?” but, “Whom can I help while I am waiting?”
GOD: Now you understand.
And remember,
The best way to find your own light is sometimes to become a light for someone else.
RT: Thank You, God. I think that is a conversation worth sharing.
GOD: Then don’t just share it.
Live it.