Love and Touch of God

Aum Sairam

Oh my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God is my fortress.

There are times when life presses down so hard upon us that we feel as
if we can hardly breathe. We struggle underneath a weight so heavy that
the air itself seems compressed and flat. While the ache and sorrow are
almost more than we can bear, we are often more awake and aware at
times of crisis than at any other times in our life. This is, perhaps,
one of the great graces of suffering. Every cell stands at attention
and life is fully real. There are no illusions, no sleeping through the struggle.

In our painful wakefulness we find our soul straining for the glance of
heaven. We seek either a release from the suffering or a reason for it.
We wait, we watch, we wait, we watch. We pour out our heart in prayer
and look for the signs that heaven has heard. And then the moment
comes. The Holy One lifts from us the misery that has held us captive.
We find we have been plumped up again with hope. Our heart fills with
gratitude, and we realize that the suffering that was so unwelcome has
actually brought us closer to
the love and touch of God.

Oh Sai, when suffering blinds me to the goodness of life; waken me by
the heat of your love.