We all know that life can be unpredictable, even catastrophic. No person or nation is immune to life’s turbulent waters. Yet, we need not despair. God is with us, and just as God guided Noah in and through the ordeal confronting him, God will surely do the same for us. God has no stepchildren! But a key word in the Genesis story expands our understanding: the word “righteous.” “Righteous” does not mean that Noah was perfect or that he somehow had to earn God’s help. Rather, it is a reference to Noah’s devotion to truth, beauty, and goodness. This kind of devotion allowed him to be open and receptive to God’s intervention. Such devotion is exactly what Yogananda is referring to when he exhorts us, “Adopt plain living and high thinking.”
Taking our cues from Yogananda, “plain living” is a life that is simple, well-ordered, and dedicated to loving God and others. “High thinking” is enlightened thinking which is objective, rational, committed to following the guru’s wisdom, and guided by the highest truths such as the yamas and niyamas. When we endeavor to live in this manner, we literally allow God to intervene in our lives in miraculous ways.
Beloved,
May my living and thinking
Always allow you to
Give me the protection
You wish to give.
