Substitutes

We substitute quite often, but God does not need any substitute. When we play a game, if a member of our team is injured, immediately we get a substitute. For everything that we do on earth, we are apt to have a substitute, if necessity demands. But in God’s case, He does not need a substitute. On His team, He never wants a substitute. Why, why?

God wants you to be on His team and occupy a special place, a special post. He wants you to be at a particular place, to do a particular thing in His cosmic Game. He wants you to play at a particular game at a particular place. You may say that today you are sick, today you are not in a cheerful frame of mind, today you are disturbed, today lethargy is disturbing you; you may have millions of reasons why you want to take rest and get a substitute.

But God will say, “You want a proper substitute, but do you not realise that each and everyone has been designated a post, a career. In My cosmic Game I want you to play a special game and occupy a special role. Now, if you want to offer Me a substitute, that particular substitute will be out of place: he will have his own part to play. If I ask you in the cosmic football game to play centre forward, and if I ask a friend of yours to play right wing, just because you are not in a cheerful frame of mind, just because you are disturbed, just because you are angry with Me, just because something is wrong with you, if you want somebody else to replace you, do you not think that that particular person will not have his own post? If he plays your part, then his part will not be executed by him or by anybody. If you constantly send in a substitute, if the whole world wants to send in substitutes, then how can all the parts, how can all the careers that have to be fulfilled in My creation be fulfilled?

“On My Cosmic team I shall never accept a substitute for you. You have to play your part, he has to play his part. If I take him away to play your part, his part will remain empty. No, everybody has to play his own part; then only we can fight against ignorance. If each one is at his proper place, if each one is playing untiringly, soulfully and unconditionally to please Me, then only can I fight against ignorance. Then only in the tug-of-war between the undivine and the divine, between ignorance-existence and wisdom-light, will we win. Never will I accept a substitute. To accept a substitute is to weaken the team. If we replace a particular player, then who is going to fill the place that remains empty?”

So there can be no substitutes on God’s team. You play your role, let him play his role and let me play my role. Then only our Pilot Supreme, our Captain Supreme, is bound to win the victory. And this victory is for whom? Not only for Him, but for us as well; for we are one, eternally one. Father and children are eternally one, Mother and children are eternally one. So there can be no substitutes in God’s Cosmic Game.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Everest-Aspiration, part 4, Agni Press, 1977
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ea_4