The great apostle was walking through the city, when he came upon a group of people, who were otherwise well clad and looked prosperous, but seemed full of sadness. There was a great fear in their eyes, and it was making them miserable.
The apostle asked for the reason of their misery, and they said, “We have learnt of the fires of hell, and are scared of facing that fate. We live life trying to avoid hell, and the constant fear of being burnt in those fires is making us miserable.”
The apostle walked on, and came upon yet another group, who looked blessed with material wealth, and their environment was full of comfort. In their eyes was a great sense of a want, and want was making them equally miserable as the group that the apostle saw a little while ago. When asked for the reason of their sad state, they said, “We have learnt of the great heaven of happiness in Paradise. We live life constantly striving to ensure that we will enter the gates of paradise, and that desire is making us miserable.” The apostle walked on. He saw another group, some of whom appeared to be in poverty too. But there was contentment in their eyes, and their faces were aglow with joy. And when the apostle asked of them, they said “We have seen the truth – that there is none but the One, and time shall proceed as He wishes, and having known this, we are full of joy in living as He wills.”
“These are the devotees who have indeed found Him, and when their accounts are called, they will be with Him,” the apostle said.
Too often the devotee spends their time in this life chasing heaven and avoiding hell. The Teachers advise us to instead spend our time in His will, for those who love Him, they shall be always in His presence.