As we look at our lives, we find that there are many activities and priorities that draw our attention during the day. Some among us are focused on tending to the needs of the body, others focus on building a career and livelihood, many others spend their time on activities of the outer world. In whatever way we spend our time, one thing is for sure. We each have only 24 hours in a day, and how we spend that time determines how successful we are in fulfilling the purpose for which we have been given this human existence. Rather than remaining focused on activities that bring us only material gain, which we will leave behind when we leave this world. In our quest to fulfil our obligations and to find happiness and comfort in this world, we become too entrenched in worldly activities, spending much of our waking hours focused on them, at the expense of more important tasks. Ironically, when we get caught up in these activities in the pursuit of future gains, we are in fact allowing ourselves to be owned by these activities. We become the owned rather than the owner.
Every moment of every day, time is just ticking away. Of the twenty-four hours in a day, we may allot a certain number to sleep, a few hours to tending to the needs of our bodies, a few more hours to work and activities to fulfil our worldly obligations. This leaves, at the end of the day, only a handful of hours that are available to us to put to good use so that we can progress spiritually. Time invested in all other activities of the world will only yield gains that are fleeting or will remain here after we depart this world. It is only when we focus our attention on the inner worlds that we open ourselves up to the permanent. When we take the time to go within, through the process of meditation, we connect with the inner Light and Sound of God. This connection puts us in a state of bliss, joy, and happiness. We realize our connection with God and experience God’s presence in our lives. Happiness, peace, and joy overtake our being and begin to ooze out from us to all we meet. As we go about this life, we need to discharge our obligations to our families, friends, co-workers, to our neighbourhoods, communities, cities, countries, and the world. At the same time, we also need to prioritize our spiritual progress and dedicate two to three hours each day to focus on what is truly important, and that is our meditations. We need to fix a time so that we build the habit of meditation. The more time we spend in meditation, the happier we will be, and the more time we will want to spend. We need to take stock of how we use our time and to plan out our days so that we prioritize the most important activity, meditation, before any other activity on our lists. As we do so, we will find that life becomes more joyous and that we will begin to live the kind of life that helps us fulfil the purpose for which we are here. Always remember, that we belong to God, and if we live under this principle, we are sure to find our way back Home to God.
-Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
