THE FAST-FORWARD BUTTON

By Pastor Suresh Dass Joseph
[email protected]

Dear reader, it is with great joy that we bring you the word of God. We all have things in life that we want improved or changed. They are like mountains unwilling to move. We have prayed and had faith, but it looks like it won’t improve. It could be a health issue, an addiction, wanting to have a baby, or get married.

We feel that this situation will take a very long time, and we will have to endure it. But God says, “I am the Lord; when the time comes, I will do it quickly.” That means, though it looks like it will take a long time to get your health back, get married, and be promoted, then get ready, it will happen quickly. It is going to happen sooner than expected. Instead of taking years, just like the fast-forward button, it will happen quickly, and you will know it was God’s hand.

So, I am asking you to be filled with hope and be encouraged. The scriptures remind us that what is impossible with people is possible with God. Today, as you keep moving forward in faith and doing your part in living your life in obedience to God, you will come into your breakthrough season sooner than expected.

In the scriptures (Exodus 14), we read that when God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, where they had been in slavery for many years, and they were moving towards the promised land, the king of Egypt came chasing after them. The Israelites numbered about two million people at the Red Sea’s dead-end, with nowhere to go.

It looked like the king and his army would overtake them at any moment. But then Moses held up his rod, and the waters parted, and the Israelites walked on dry ground to get across to the other side. When the king’s men came chasing, the waters closed up, and they were all drowned.
The scriptures say, “The Red Sea saw the Israelites coming and hurried out of their way.”

That means just like the Red Sea, when your time comes, the enemies that are holding you back from moving forward, those that are limiting you from progressing, the obstacles and hindrances in your life will quickly move out of the way. Suddenly, your health turns around, a door that had been shut for a long time opens, and your supervisor, restricting you from rising higher, leaves the company. God knows how to take things that look fixed and quickly shift them so that you can move forward.

Here are 3 things we can learn from these.

1) Everything will happen for you, quickly, and you will be thankful you didn’t give up. You are going to be celebrating something extraordinary soon. You will be so full of joy and happiness sharing your good news. It will seem like something out of this world, like how it happened. Be ready for it. Expect it. This is what happened to the Israelites. Moses assured the Israelites, saying, “Do not be afraid, but watch what the Lord will accomplish for you today.”

2) God is saying to you today, “I am going to open doors for you that have been locked for a long time. Suddenly, miracles will happen in your life. Healing and restoration are being released. For over 400 years, the Israelites were enslaved people in Egypt. But on the day appointed by God, they came out of it and started their journey towards the promised land.

3) It may look like your situation is never going to change. But in a split second, God can change it. When the Israelites came up to the Red Sea, it was deep and wide and impossible for all the people to get across. But the same God who told them to come out of Egypt also controls the Sea. When the Sea saw them coming, it quickly moved aside and let them pass. You may be facing something today that looks unchanging.

But the good news is that God is not only in control of your life, but He controls those who are opposing you. When your time comes, they will hear from God and move out of the way. That sickness that would last a lifetime suddenly disappears, and those who won’t let you rise higher suddenly retire. The loan that was denied several times suddenly gets approved.

I b elieve all this is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. As you keep moving forward in trusting and honouring God, you will come into a season where the doors that had been closed for a long time quickly open so you can move to your next season of God’s favour and goodness.

God bless you.

Diwali – Light Over Darkness

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated across India and the world as a symbol of joy, prosperity, and the triumph of good over evil. While cultural traditions emphasise external festivities such as lighting lamps and exchanging sweets, Diwali also carries profound spiritual meaning. It serves as a reminder for humanity to awaken the inner light, rise above negativity, and embark on self-transformation through spiritual awareness.

Diwali, also known as Deepawali, has been celebrated for centuries as one of the most significant Hindu festivals. Traditionally, it marks the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, symbolising the victory of light over darkness. Beyond this historical and cultural significance, Diwali can also be understood as a spiritual festival, an occasion to ignite self-realisation, strengthen the connection with the Supreme, and awaken the eternal virtues of the soul.

The Symbolism of Light

The diya (lamp) serves as a powerful metaphor for the soul, an eternal spark of light and consciousness. Just as a lamp dispels physical darkness, the awakened soul dispels the inner darkness of ignorance, fear, and vice. Lighting lamps during Diwali is therefore symbolic of rekindling spiritual awareness and re-establishing a connection with the Divine Source.

Victory of Virtues Over Vices

The story of Rama’s victory over Ravana represents more than an epic battle. It is an allegory of the inner struggle between virtues and vices. Ravana’s ten heads symbolise the ten major vices: ego, anger, lust, greed, attachment, jealousy, hatred, laziness, stubbornness, and falsehood. The true celebration of Diwali lies in conquering these inner enemies and reclaiming one’s sovereignty through knowledge, meditation, and the practice of divine virtues.

True Prosperity: Spiritual Wealth

While Diwali is associated with invoking Goddess Lakshmi for material abundance, spiritual wisdom reminds us that physical wealth is temporary, fluctuating, and often burdened with worry. True prosperity is spiritual wealth, peace, purity, love, happiness, knowledge, and powers. Unlike material riches, these treasures are imperishable, and they grow the more they are shared. This spiritual prosperity fosters inner contentment and lasting harmony in society.

Rituals as Spiritual Practices

Many rituals of Diwali carry profound symbolic meanings when viewed through a spiritual lens:
Cleaning homes reflects cleansing the mind of negative or wasteful thoughts.
Wearing new clothes symbolises adopting a renewed spiritual identity.
Exchanging sweets represents sharing virtues, blessings, and goodwill.
Fireworks signify the bursting of ego and the spreading of joy.

Diwali and World Renewal

Diwali can also be interpreted as a symbol of cosmic renewal. It signifies the transition from the darkness of the Iron Age (Kali Yuga) to the light of the Golden Age (Satya Yuga). The present period, often described as an age of transformation, offers an opportunity to acquire divine knowledge, empower the soul, and contribute to world transformation through self-transformation. Thus, Diwali becomes both a personal and global symbol of renewal.

The true significance of Diwali extends far beyond external rituals. It is a celebration of the soul’s awakening, a victory of virtues over vices, and an invitation to accumulate imperishable treasures of peace, love, knowledge, and happiness. By invoking this inner light and embracing spiritual prosperity, individuals not only enrich their own lives but also illuminate the path toward global harmony. Diwali, therefore, is not only a festival of external lights but also a timeless spiritual journey toward self-realisation and renewal.
Brahma Kumaris Shailer Park offers free courses in Raja Yoga Meditation, Positive Thinking, and Anger Management. For further information, please contact us on 0414 685 144 or email [email protected].

We warmly invite you to experience a journey of self-transformation in a peaceful and supportive environment. To learn more and explore events happening near you, please visit: www.brahmakumaris.org.au.

-Om Shanthi-

What Do You Focus On?

By Monica Pema |
PEMA Mind and Motion

Life doesn’t wait for you to be ready. It arrives in unexpected ways, sometimes through a diagnosis, a sudden shift in weather, a change in a relationship, or the simple unraveling of what once felt very stable. The truth is, ‘life throws curve balls’.
But what if it’s not about dodging them?
What if it’s about how we see them, how we navigate, respond, and focus, that determines whether they break us down or wake us up?
Let me explain.

The Dot and the Page

If I draw a small black dot on a blank sheet of paper and ask, “What do you see?” most people point to the dot.
The dot is obvious. It grabs your attention.
But here’s the question:

Did you notice the white space surrounding it?

This isn’t a trick. It’s an observation.
Some people only see the dot, what’s wrong, what’s heavy, what’s not working. Others pause and notice the vast expanse of white space that surrounds it. They remain curious, open, and aware that the dot, while visible, is not all there is.
And that, right there, is the difference between being consumed by life or consciously creating it.

What You Focus On Grows

Where attention goes, energy flows.
Where energy flows, growth happens.
Where growth happens, identity forms.
If you continuously focus on what’s lacking, what’s wrong, or what didn’t go your way then your nervous system adapts to that frequency. You become hyper-attuned to danger, to disappointment, to stress.

But if you train your awareness to include the white space, to stay open to solutions, meaning, or even stillness, your system begins to regulate differently. You grow differently. You heal differently. You live differently.

From a Vedic Perspective

In the Vedic worldview, this principle is embedded in how we view reality known as Maya (illusion) versus Satya (truth). We are constantly invited to look beyond the surface, beyond the dot, and into the field of pure potential that surrounds it.
The dot could represent a challenge. The white space is the field, your capacity to respond, create, shift perspective, and expand.
In Ayurveda and the Vedas, this is not passive optimism. It’s intentional direction of awareness. It’s not about denying the dot. It’s about integrating it into a larger, wiser picture.
You are not the dot.
You are not the problem.
You are not the fear or the diagnosis or the moment of pain.
You are the awareness that can hold all of it and still see the space.
This awareness is your superpower.

Micro-Moments, Macro Impact

In my work, whether with individuals navigating health challenges, practitioners seeking clarity, or students learning somatic and emotional literacy, I often come back to this:
Every moment offers a choice.
Do you focus on the limitation or the learning?
Do you attach to the identity of pain, or use it as a portal to insight?
Let’s be clear: I’m not asking you to spiritually bypass reality.
I’m asking you to befriend it.
To widen the frame.
To choose your focus consciously.
Because it’s in these micro-moments of attention that our lives are built.

Questions for You

If you’re reading this, I invite you to pause and reflect:
• What have you been focusing on lately?
• Is your attention drawn to the dot or are you open to seeing the space around it?
• Are you contracting or expanding through this season of life?
You are powerful. You are the artist of your own awareness.

The Practice

Next time you find yourself spiralling into frustration, fear, or fatigue, try this:
1. Name the Dot. Acknowledge it. What’s the thought, the story, or the sensation?
2. Breathe into the Space. Let the inhale be longer than the exhale. Feel your body as a container for more than just this one moment.
3. Ask, “What else is true?” This expands your lens. Maybe the sun is out. Maybe you have support. Maybe your breath is steady.
These small shifts are not small. They are foundational.
They train your nervous system to see options, not just obstacles.

Closing

So, what do you focus on?
Because what you focus on… grows.
And in this ever-changing life filled with curve balls and crossroads, your focus might just be the most powerful choice you make.
Don’t just see the dot. Be the one who sees the space.
Ready to take the first step toward emotional well-being? The Mind and Motion Cards are here to help you navigate your emotional journey. For more resources on emotional regulation, guided practices or purchasing the cards, visit www.monicapema.com.

Monica Pema | Integrated Wellness Expert
Founder of PEMA Mind and Motion | MSc. Psychology
“From Passion to Profit in All Walks of Life”

This article is intended for reflection and education. It is not a substitute for medical or psychological care.