558. He provides what is Needed rather than what is Wanted...!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/he-provides-what-is-needed-rather-than-what-is-wanted

How many times have we heard a distress person saying, “God does not provide me what I want!” Life is a lot like that; God might not give us what we want but definitely will provide what we need. He has designed us and gave us all the pieces necessary to achieve our purpose. It is our incapability to understand His order. As we journey the path of life we keep thinking that we are not getting that we want, and on the other hand if we have an overview of what has happened it will have a perfect picture. As a matter of fact some extra additions which we might have gathered to add to our life never really fit in and some will be still sitting by the edge waiting to be discovered why we gathered them.

We have not learnt to count on God to give us what we need, for He knows what is best for us. Our prayers will reveal what we anticipate in Him. We are a confused lot in deciding if He is Cosmic Kamadhenu (wish fulfilling cow) looking forward to fulfil our endless wish list or is He the all knower who provide what we deserve. By examining the wishes we place before him as we enter the place of worship we can get an idea of what we really think Him to be – a businessman or a trader? Only He knows how much to give and when to give. Sometimes He provides bread and sometimes He provides the ingredients of the bread and wants me to bake it and many a times he offers something which I cannot comprehend immediately as to why He has given it to me. But I need to accept whatever is offered by Him irrespective of whether I want it or not as I am unable to grasp from my limited knowledge when that which is offered to me will be of use.   

Once a traveller was lost in a desert and he wandered all alone. He was thirsty and was desperate for water. Far in the desert he saw a small hut. Hoping to find water, he walked towards it, only to find an old hawker sitting with a bunch of neckties laid out on the table.

The exhausted man asked, “Please, I'm dying of thirst, can I have some water?”

The man replied, “I don't have any water, but could you please buy a tie? This one goes nicely with your shirt it costs only 10 bucks; moreover it helps me support my family.”

The desperate man shouted, “I don't want the goddamn tie, you idiot, I need water don’t you see I am thirsty. Instead of selling ties here you could have put up a soft drinks shop in this desert, I would have paid 100 bucks for a litre of water. Do you think I am here shopping for a cheap tie? I have better collection of neck ties in my wardrobe.”

“Cool gentleman, it is O.K if you don't buy a tie. The Lord wants me to sell this here and I am doing it. Just to show you what a nice guy I am, I'll tell you that over that hill there, about 5 kms, is a decent restaurant. Walk that way, there you can fetch your thirst.”

The man walked away towards the hill and eventually disappeared out of sight. Three hours later he returned. The hawker asked, “I told you, about 5 kms over that hill. Did you not find the restaurant?”

“Oh yah, I did find that restaurant. But they wouldn't allow me in without a tie.”