Let The Children Come

Lecture given by Beinsa Douno

August 14, 1932, 05:00 a.m. local time

The Seven Rila Lakes

Reflection on the verse: The Head of Your Word is Truth

I will read verse 16 of chapter 18 from the Gospel of Luke, "However, Jesus called them to Him, saying: "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

You say, "What are the children like in life?" Children are the uniting threads in life. The weak in Nature is a uniting thread. When people say about something that it is not so important and valuable, they should know that their life depends exactly on that weak, unimportant thing. It is the uniting thread in their life. Without this uniting connection it would not even be possible to think about great things.

So, when we speak about children, many people take this verse literally, in its external aspect. However, in its outer interpretation it cannot explain Truth. By the word children Christ means the smallest thought, the smallest feeling and the smallest action, which arise in one's soul. These smallest quantities appear to be weak as children are: you cannot expect anything from them, they have no meaning; but actually, they are significant connecting links in life. So, about these little quantities in life, Christ said, "Let the little children come to Me, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." And it is true that a big person – one who is aware of their mind and heart, but does not pay attention to the little things within them, cannot enter the kingdom of God. To those who wish to enter the kingdom of God, I say, "Do not despise the little thought, the little good, the little loving feeling emerging in your soul". Many people view the little loving feeling with neglect and say, "This is a small thing!" They rely on great and prestigious affairs. You may ask that big strong horse what it has achieved after carrying big and heavy loads its whole life. Ask the big salesman what he has achieved after participating in big deals his whole life. Ask the famous writer what he has achieved after writing great works his whole life. All large animals and great persons would say in conclusion as Shakespeare said long ago "To be or not to be?" I will translate that sentence in the following way, "To be a big horse and to carry a big load or to be a little horse and to carry a small load; to be a big salesman and to be engaged with big deals or to be a simple one and to deal with little deals; to be a great writer or poet and to write great works only or to be a simple writer or poet and to glorify the small in life?"

I say, everything depends on application. Usually one begins with great ideas, with big projects, but eventually ends their dealings with small things. A law of unity exists, according to which there is a close relation between the small and the great things. It was said in the Scriptures, "I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end of all things". The great ideas are the beginning; the small ones are the end. If the great thoughts do not connect to the small ones, they will not be realized. So, a person should reconcile the great impulses in the self with the small ones. If people know how to do this, they will use both of them in their development. Sometimes a little impulse or a small wish can make a very important connection, which will save a person from a big disaster.

How do contemporary people behave? Very often they neglect their little impulses, thoughts and wishes, and after that they expect happiness, huge success and achievements. A young woman dreams of meeting the king's son riding his horse and coming to marry her. One day she decides to run away from home and she goes to the forest with the hope that the king's son will come to save her. But what eventually happens? She goes to the forest, loses the road and meets not the king's son riding his horse, but the shepherd's son riding his donkey. The young woman says to herself, "From where did this shepherd's son come? I expected the king's son but was deceived."

This young woman thinks that she is unhappy, because she does not understand the deep meaning of things. As she has not this understanding, she interprets things in a wrong way that is why she encounters many misfortunes. In this example the donkey represents the king's son, whom the young woman is expecting, and the shepherd's son represents the small beautiful feeling being carried by the king's son. You can place a jewel in a wooden box and a lentil in a gold box. Which one would you prefer: the jewel in the wooden box or the lentil in the golden box? The jewel, of course, costs more than the wooden box and the golden box costs more than the lentil, but if you experience a year of famine, you can prepare something with the lentil to satisfy your hunger, while the gold and the jewel cannot help you. The lentil can be put in the soil and in a few months it will grow and bear fruit that will save you form starving in a year of famine, while no one will want to buy the gold box and the jewel. You can make rings, earrings and other jewelry from the gold box, but who would buy them then?

There is a law of unity in Nature, which is honored everywhere in life, in science and in arts. For example: if we consider knowledge, we will see that there is a unity between all its parts. In this case true knowledge is that one which can serve as a source of inspiration, support and light for a person. Knowledge that is neither an inspiration, nor light or an aid to a person is just a burden and nothing more. Knowledge is the greatest good that God can give to someone. By it one should evaluate equally both the small and the great thoughts, feelings and actions. Having great knowledge, the sage evaluates equally both the small and the great things. God evaluates both the Sun and the human being. The Sun hides powerful forces, but God renders the same value to it as to the human being. A person asks, "What can I do? In what does my worth lie?" Your worth lies in the connection you can make. The human mind can make a connection between the Sun and the Earth. People have come to the Earth exactly for this – to make this connection. Whoever does not want to make this connection passes for a great person. Such people pay more attention to the great quantities in life than to the little ones. They neglect the children, i.e. the small things. God puts these great people somewhere in space – to turn around like wheels. The unhappiness of today's people is due to their greed for great plans and big deals.

According to an ancient legend, the Earth is a young beautiful maiden whom God wanted to marry to a young beautiful shepherd. She said, "Lord, I do not want to marry such an ordinary man. I dream of something great, of great worlds. If a king's son comes over, I will marry him." God agreed to fulfill her wish and married her to a king's son. Soon she gave birth to sons and daughters – they were all criminals. The Earth married a king's son, but all this while she has been passing through hard trials because of these sons and daughters she bore from him. She became aware of her situation and used to say to herself, "I should have married the shepherd's son! I would not have had such hard experiences with him as I am living through today". Not only she, but also her children are saying, "Our mother would better have married someone simpler, without a title and a name, but who would bring happiness to the whole home." Actually, it is better to prefer the shepherd's son who carries inner happiness than the king's son who brings unhappiness.

So, these are allegories, about which it is necessary to think. People reject the small ideas, which God has invested in them at the expense of the big ones, which come from outside. One wants to be a king, to be beautiful, rich and strong. And this is not bad, but happiness does not lie in beauty, in power and in wealth. To be a king – this is still not happiness; to be beautiful – this is not happiness. When a young woman is beautiful, everyone wants her. When all people wish something at one and the same time, it brings unhappiness. In this case, the beautiful person needs to stand against others with a knife in their hand in order to defend what belongs to them.

So, the main thought is that people should not enter into conflict within themselves and say, 'I lived for nothing. I wasted so many years and achieved nothing!" It is not good to talk in this way. I would like to know what you are thinking when you say that you have wasted a year, for instance. In a year the Earth makes one turn around the Sun. So in this time she has done a lot of work; she has given at least one lesson to everyone. Therefore, when someone says that the year has gone for nothing, I understand that they could not learn the lesson given to them. If they had learned their lesson, they would fulfill God's will and receive a little blessing. A wasted year means a small thought, a connection that one has neglected. If so, one can easily regain this year. How? By completing this small connection, i.e. not neglecting the little thought. The little thoughts, not the great ones, correct mistakes. That is why when you make a mistake, go to the small thing – there you will correct it; if you lose something – go to the small thing – there you will find it. That is why the mother finds what she has lost in her child. What has she lost? – Her love. Every woman who has lost her love should become a mother and give birth to a child in order to find her lost love. Why are children born? – To bring their mothers the lost love. Why do the little thoughts come to a person? – To bring them the lost love. The little thought is the small light that shines here and there in a pitch-dark night. Suppose you are walking desperate in a dark night, you have lost the way, but suddenly you catch sight of a bright light in the distance. The light makes you feel happy that you have found the way. A small candle in the darkness brings you great joy.

We have to thank God for the small things that serve the big ones. The small thoughts, feelings and actions, i.e. the young children, are the little angels that come down to the Earth to save people. Take an example: was Christ a great man? Was He a king? Did He have an army at His disposal? He was called a Judaic King Who had came to save the Jewish people, but the high-priests, the scribes and the Pharisee as well used to say, "We do not want this man. Take him away; let him go! You cannot expect anything from him. He cannot be the Messiah." That is that – people have strange ideas. They expect the good to come from a direction from which nothing can come. I have observed how a young woman behaves when she has her eye on a nice young man. She examines his hands, his legs, and she says to herself, "He is a strong man. He could be a support in my life".

She thinks of that which cannot happen. I keep silent and say nothing to her, but I smile and think, "What a thrashing you will get from this strong and healthy man! You will be the first who will taste his strong muscular hands." In a year's time I meet this young woman, already married to that man, and she tells me, "Oh, I am disappointed in him. He appeared to be a good person before we married but what happened? He beats me very badly – he beats me and does not think that it hurts me. If I had known he was like that I would not have taken him."

I say, the great is good but frightful. The small and weak will not allow oneself to beat you, but the big and powerful can beat you even three times a day. And when one asks in which way we could serve God, I answer: Love is the only Divine power, which deals with the smallest things in the world. Besides, Love is that mighty power, which takes care of the non-essential things, to which no one pays attention. In the small things lies the solution of all difficult questions; the secrets of Life are hidden in them. When Love comes, she brings all lost things with her.

So, if you want to be strong, make friends with the small and weak beings; after that, work on the idea of Love and apply it in your life. When you meet a little child or a weak-minded person – do not despise them. See first what they need and help them immediately. Do not despise the small and the weak in yourself. If a little thought comes into your mind or a tender feeling – in your heart – give them way, act on them. They will bring you a great blessing in the future.

Many people want to know whether or not they will be happy, whether or not their children will study well in school, will they be well in life and so on. For this purpose, when they hear about a fortune-teller, they go immediately to see them for some prediction. They may tell these people something or they may not, but first they want money. All should know one thing: God determines the destiny of people – no one else. After all, people's destiny is not something fatal. It is determined in accordance with their thoughts, feelings and actions. Therefore, no one has the power to deliver another one from their own destiny. If there is someone who can help, this is the person alone. How? – Through changing the direction of their thoughts, feelings and actions. As soon as they change their thoughts, feelings and actions, then God will change His decisions for them.

However, people want things to happen according to their wishes without any sacrificing on their side. No, if one would change one's thoughts, feelings and actions in the right way, God will also change His conclusions for that person. In the Old Testament it is said, "According to your thoughts, feelings and actions you will be removed from His face forever." After that the Jewish people realized their mistakes and repented. God told them, "In case you repent, turn to Me and I will delete your sins." And they turned and God was graceful and merciful to them.

I ask, "Is it possible to forgive the sins of someone who never repents? In other words: can one eat in an inn where they prepare the worst food?" – No, it cannot be. That is why, the good thoughts, feelings and actions are the greatest thing that one can do and give. For this aim one should keep absolutely pure thoughts without any self-interest. Let one make a step in this direction – let one imagine that they have sacrificed everything they own for God without expecting anything in return. Or let a king attempt to give up his crown and go to preach for the Lord. How many times will this king decide and postpone – and eventually, he might do it or not.

This is the situation, in which all people are to be found now. It will be easy for a person to give up the crown, if this person knows that even without a crown he is still a king. Everyone is a king of themselves, but there are some people who externally also play the role of a king. However, you should bear in mind that the reign supposes obligations. The king's situation is not easy. If you are the king of a nation and you succeed in showing it the path of Truth, you will be a lighted candle for it. Before you have not become a lighted candle for your nation, no one can see you, but afterwards everyone can see you. And everyone can notice even your smallest mistake.

When someone decides to do a good thing or even only thinks about it, they are submitted to trials in that very moment. For instance, one wants to be loved and to love others. Right away they will be examined to determine whether they deserve to be loved and to love. Everyone has passed through similar experiences. You love a friend and the friend loves you, but in a few years they find something wrong with you and reject you, looking for another friend. Why? Everyone is looking for something perfect in life.

The only thing a person cannot reject in life – these are the small things – for example, the children. The mother can never reject her children. If she does that, she would delete her maternity – nothing else. If one pushes Love away from oneself – in any form it may be, one deprives oneself of joy, happiness and the blessings they could achieve. All these things leave them one by one. Those who reject Love subject themselves to the greatest sufferings: their life loses sense, its meaning so they become dissatisfied, sad and gloomy. Someone says, "I do not know why I am so sad." You are sad, because you have despised, you have rejected one of the little children of Love. When you reject one of her children she says, "If you reject my child, I will reject you too." Love leaves and passes you by, she goes away and you remain with your great thoughts and feelings. Afterwards you will say that you serve God, but people do not love you, they do not understand you and so on. This is possible too, but if you are actually in compliance with the Great law of God or with Love, you will not be disturbed about whether or not people love you. However, if you are not in line with the Great law of Love, even if people love you and respect you – you will feel an inner anxiety.

What I am referring to are the inner states and relations of people, not the outer ones, as they are based on rules, which are quite different from those of the inner ones. The power of a person lies in the inner unity that can be achieved. And for this unity one should strive. It can be achieved only by applying the small things in life. You give someone a little exercise, but he says, "What can I achieve by this elementary exercise? What will happen, if I raise my hand forward or put it to the side?" If a writer takes the pen and says that he cannot write anything by means of this simple pen, he will really not do anything. But if he persists, the pen will write many lines and pages and will create something good.

If a writer wants to do something great at once, he will write nothing. For instance, see what the human tongue does in the world. The best things have been said by means of this small organ. The salvation of the world depends on this small organ, too. When it begins to move, it does great things even though it is so small. It smoothes, tames, settles many affairs. The eyelids also do a lot. You see them – two small organs, but we cannot go without them. Apparently they do nothing, but open and close; however, they are keepers of the eyes; they protect them from dust, small flying insects and other damage. They are small organs, but very important. People do not pay attention to them, but they do not take offence, they silently do their work – protecting the eyes.

Contemporary people are often guided by ambitions, saying that they can interpret different verses from the Gospels. Spiritual people claim the same. I say, there is a difference in the interpretations. But only one right way of interpretation exists. If we talk about the usual interpretation, everyone can do it, as everyone can say that two times two is four. The philosopher says that two times two is four, and the little child says the same. Both of them have the same result, but there is a difference in their way of solving this task. The difference is in this: if you go into a garden with the philosopher and the child, the philosopher will say that two times two is four and will give you four small apples. The child will also say that two times two is four, but he will give you four nice big apples. Which of the two will you wish to solve the problem for you: the philosopher, who comes to the solution literally and gives you four small apples, or the child who will give you four nice big apples?

Two persons have a dispute about which one of them has more love in their heart. They both have love, but the one who keeps the most love is the one who after calculating that two times two is four, will give you, at the same time, four nice ripe apples. He counts better than the other one.

So, the power and greatness of a person lies in applying God's law. According to this law, one should behave with others the way one behaves with oneself. However, a perfect behavior is that, in which one treats others the same way that God treats them, i.e. the same way as God keeps them in His mind. In the mind of God everyone has a particular place. Even the smallest being has a high place in the mind of God. And whatever it may want from God, its request is heard. Someone says. "I pray to God every day, but – no voice, no reply." Why? – Because this person either does not know how to pray or has cut off their connection with God.

Twelve bishops met in a forest to pray for something. They prayed for a long time, but received no answer. At the same time an ordinary pious countryman passed by, carrying wood for sale on his donkey. The bishops stopped him with the words, "Listen, we ask you to pray to God to settle a very important matter." He prayed eagerly to God and the affair was settled in the best way. This means that the prayer of the ordinary person was accepted. The bishops later gave praise that, thanks to their prayer, the result was achieved. They met for a second time to pray for something, but again their prayer was not heard. This time the woodman did not come to them and the deal was not arranged. Whenever the woodman prayed to God, he received a reply to his prayer. Whenever the bishops prayed to God, there was no voice, no answer.

I say, there is nothing greater for a person than to realize that they hold a respectable place in the mind of God. If one is aware of this, when they pray to God and ask for something, their prayer will be heard. That is why you all should strive for this – to be pleasing to God and to take a high position in His mind. This should be the ideal of every soul. It cannot be achieved by crying and with tears. God does not need human tears and weeping. If you want to achieve your ideal, deal with the smallest things, from which God has created the world. For this purpose you should hold sacred the idea of God in your soul. Exclude any negative feelings towards God! All that was created by God does not admit any modification, any critique. When you approach the Divine, whether you understand it or not – it is always right. When you approach the Divine – it is necessary to act first and then to think. You want to serve God, but you start thinking about what will happen to you, if you take this way. Once you have decided to serve God, do not worry any more; will they kill you or hang you, or cut you in pieces – do not think about anything. Everything may befall you, but at the end such a miracle will happen as has never been seen. If Christ had been afraid, he would not have come to the resurrection. He was nailed on the cross, where He received the worst violations and mockeries – that He was God's Son and wanted to save the world. He was told, "If you are really a Son of God, come down from the cross and prove that to us, so we can believe you." Christ bore all this with the greatest humbleness and Love.

And in His last moment He sighed deeply and said, "Father, into Your hands I entrust my Spirit. Let it be according to Your will!" (Luke 23:46) Christ suffered the worst violations on the cross, for which He was elevated: He was given all the power on Earth and in Heavens. What happened with Him had never occurred before – He arose from the dead.

Now many people want to go in the Divine path, but if they do not have before them the life of Christ, they will not be able to follow Him. You say that you want to live for God, for your fellows. You can live for God and for your fellows also, but you should know that violations, persecutions, mockeries will come. You should be ready to meet these trials. Is it like this today? You meet a follower of Christ – they are disturbed and make protest about an offending word. They may say, "I do not know what to do now. I am not good for anything; no one respects me, no one wants to know me." If you have come to the Earth for people to respect you – you are on the wrong path. You have not come to the Earth for people to love you and respect you, but to express Divine Love. After that, God will show His Love for you. Christ said, "Just as the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you." (John 15:9) Therefore, you should first express Divine Love to others and after that God will reveal His love for you. If you cannot understand God's Love, you will also not be able to understand people's love. Doubts, hesitations and some delusions will come, and as a result you will learn a little, but lose much time. One thing should be considered: to understand a great truth you need to always look for the shortcut. By the shortcut I mean the right way for achievement. So, if you want to be saved, look for the right way.

You say, "We want to be strong." If you want to be strong, give way to Divine Love to be expressed through you. If you express Divine Love – Life will also express itself. While Life is still unrevealed, you do not know what could come from you. As to the question what will happen with you, leave for someone else to solve it. When you plant the grain of wheat in the soil, does it ask what will happen to it? It leaves this to the Sun. A child is carrying an acorn in his hand and he asks it, "What will come from you?" The acorn replies, "Plant me in the soil and leave me in peace – the Sun will say what will come from me. Come here after one hundred years and you will see what has come from me." Only God knows what will be with you. You are a small seed, which God has planted into the earth. After some time you will see yourself what will come from you. If you will leave yourself to people, they will pass you from hand to hand like a little child, but nothing will come from you. At the end – God through the little child will plant you in the soil where you will grow next year; you will blossom and give fruit. As it is like that, stay close to the little children – to the small thoughts and feelings hidden deep within you, to the little blessings, which emerge in your soul. Hold to them and do not despise them, if you want to receive God's blessing. God will bless you not for what people think of you, but for your own thoughts, feelings and actions – and not for your great thoughts, feelings and dealings, which are well known to others, but for those small thoughts, feelings and actions, which are deeply hidden and submerged in your soul, which no one knows, no one even suspects their existence. God will bless you for the small, hidden seeds in you, which have unrealized potentials, because you have already received your pay for the things completed.

Now I wish all of you to rise from the dead as Christ did. But until you come to this all of you will be persecuted, mocked and profaned as Christ was. I wish that you, when you are being crucified, say, "Father, if you wish, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, let not my will, but Your Will be done." (Luke, 22:42) Without suffering resurrection is not possible. Christ went through sufferings – people will also do this. If children suffer – their mother will suffer too. I do not hang around for sufferings, but there are inevitable ones. Some events can be avoided, but there are things that cannot be escaped. There will be a time when all sufferings and pains will disappear. Apostle Paul said, "Today's sufferings cannot be compared to the future glory of those who love God."

Many people say, "Who knows how it will be, so let us live now." Where are all those who thought only about how to live? – In the graveyards. There you can find the monuments of scientists and uneducated people, of poor and rich ones, of young and old, of all who have lived according to their understanding. All great people who had been respected and honored went there.

So, nurture the little children whom God has loved, if you want your ways to be good and pleasing to God.

Translated by Maia Atanasova

Edited by Maria Braikova and Jana Roupchina

October 2005

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