Look upon joy and grief as teachers of courage and balance. Grief is a friendly reminder, a good taskmaster, even better teacher than joy. The Lord grants both protection and punishment; for, how can He be the Lord, if He does not insist on strict accounting and strict obedience? You are as distant from the Lord as you think you are, as near Him as you feel you are. Well, let Me tell you this: The distance from Me to you is the same as the distance from you to Me, is it not? But you complain that I am far, far from you, though you are approaching nearer and nearer. How can that be? I am as near you as you are near Me. That nearness is won by devotion, which cannot be steady except after getting rid of “I” and “mine”. When a prisoner is taken from place to place, he is accompanied by two constables, is it not? When a man who is a prisoner in this jail moves from one place to another, he too is accompanied by ahamkara and mamakara: egoism and attachment. When he moves freely without these two, you can be sure he is free, liberated!