Following the death of his son in a terrible car accident, a distraught father climbed to the top of a nearby mountain with the intent to take his own life. After a rugged 2-mile ascent to the summit, the man took a short moment to admire the breathtaking panoramic views before reaching into his holster and loading his handgun.
He then put the pistol to his right temple, wiped the tears from his eyes and cursed God with these angry words:
“For much of my life I’ve believed in a just and righteous God. But then you took my only son! For more than 20 years, I’ve been a devoted family man. Is this how you choose to repay me? If you even exist, I demand that you show yourself right now, or I’ll go ahead and blow my brains out!”
A majestic elk approaches
After uttering these words, the badly grieving father then placed his finger firmly on the trigger. But in the split second before pulling it and thus ending his own life, the man heard a rustling in the pine forest behind him. He quickly turned around, and to his great surprise, saw a majestic elk emerge and walk slowly towards him on the edge of the peak.
The Elk’s four-foot-long antlers, commanding stature and stoic presence conveyed a primordial wisdom. The Elk stopped directly in front of the man, bowed his head in humble acknowledgment and spoke:
“As soon as I heard your call, I came running. By the way, did you not think I would show myself? You know, I truly am sorry about your son’s passing. But please know that I would never intend to cause you such intense suffering. It’s true that I alone set the whole Cosmos into motion through the power of my thoughts and desires. But please also know that I extend the power of freedom to every soul. In the celestial realm between birth and death, your son made the conscious choice to sacrifice his own life so that you might strengthen your own inner faith in me, the omnipresent One.
“You see, for several incarnations, your son realized his true self as resting within me and recognized that he was merely an instrument of my own will. The only thing that stood between your son and his own eternal liberation was a willingness to take birth on Earth one last time, so that he could help liberate the being he loved the most. Of course, that being was you.”
Radiant golden light
Upon hearing the Elk’s mystical words, the distraught father fell to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. The Elk looked down at the man and lovingly patted him on the head.
In response to that kind gesture, the awed disciple immediately stopped crying and looked up in disbelief, as the mighty elk before him was now aglow in a radiant golden light. He then got to his feet, returned a bow to this divine creature, and said:
“I’m humbled beyond words that you, God, are now standing before me in all your glory. I’ll never forget the loss of my beloved son, and I’ll always feel heartbroken by his untimely and tragic passing. But standing here in your presence, I recognize that I’ve taken the first steps to mending my broken soul. Oh, Divine One, I wish to live! I wish to live so that I may serve you!
The Elk took two steps forward and affectionally rubbed his nose against the face of the troubled father. Then, he turned and walked back into the forest, while repeating the following words:
“Always remember, your life is precious, adversity makes you stronger and inner faith is the surest path to an indescribable love with me.”
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image: Pixabay
