(843) 272-1339
  • HOME
  • BOOKS
    • BY MEHER BABA
    • ABOUT MEHER BABA
    • BEADS ON ONE STRING
  • DVDs
    • MEHER BABA
    • MANDALI & MORE
  • IMAGES
    • MEHER BABA PHOTOS
    • MANDALI PHOTOS
    • POSTERS
  • CDs
    • MUSIC
    • SPOKEN WORD
  • KEEP IN TOUCH
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTACT US
    • FAQ
    • GIFT CERTIFICATES
  • BLOG
    • ALL (BABA) THINGS CONSIDERED
  • DONATE
Login

Login

Lost your password?

Don’t have an account?

Don’t worry, be happy.
We’ll create an account for you
at checkout.

ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD

Don’t have an account?

Don’t worry, be happy.
We’ll create an account for you
at checkout.

CHECK YOUR INBOX
FOR INSTRUCTIONS TO RESET
YOUR PASSWORD

  • HOME
  • BOOKS
    • BY MEHER BABA
    • ABOUT MEHER BABA
    • BEADS ON ONE STRING
  • DVDs
    • MEHER BABA
    • MANDALI & MORE
  • IMAGES
    • MEHER BABA PHOTOS
    • MANDALI PHOTOS
    • POSTERS
  • CDs
    • MUSIC
    • SPOKEN WORD
  • KEEP IN TOUCH
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTACT US
    • FAQ
    • GIFT CERTIFICATES
  • BLOG
    • ALL (BABA) THINGS CONSIDERED
  • DONATE
Login View Cart

welcoming the gift

Bob Ahrens

An acquaintance recently told me of an incident which touched my heart and set me thinking.

This woman had given a gift to a close friend. She had thoughtfully prepared the gift, wrapped it, and, perhaps, imagined his expression and happiness on receiving it. When the day came and she gave the gift to him and he unwrapped it, however, his expression changed to one of anger and he threw the gift back at her. It was apparently not something he wanted.

Imagine how she felt!

I was struck, of course, by the personal pathos of having a love-gift rejected in such a cruel manner. But I was struck more deeply by recognizing myself in her friend who threw the gift back at her. Beloved Meher Baba, whom I say I “love,” carefully fashions every detail of our lives so that, one day, we may awaken to our Real Selves. Everything is a gift from Him, perfectly planned and given as a manifestation of His Infinite Love.

But often I find myself grumbling about those gifts: “I want that instead! Make this happen, not that!” And I complain and whine about the little suffering I experience and unhappily review events that didn’t go “my way” or dread things I imagine might occur in the future and not be to my liking.

This is me throwing the gift back at Beloved Baba.

That recognition made me very sad, but, what to do? Well, there is complete “acceptance,” which no doubt in its pure form is the solution. However, “acceptance” in my mind is a poor cousin. It implies a grudging separation of the things I don’t have to “accept”—because they tickle my ego—and the things that are otherwise unwelcome and, therefore, must be “accepted”—as in “tolerated.”

I have found that, for me, a better solution (and perhaps this appears to be simply semantics) is to try to reach out and “welcome” everything that comes to me, whether I perceive it as “good” or “bad.” “Welcoming” implies actively crossing the threshold to gladly embrace each moment and whatever it brings as a gift from Him.

Honestly, I still whine and complain. But I also find that I am learning, a little, to be joyful as I unwrap the Gifts of His Presence in my life.

Published July, 2018.

  • Articles by Columnists Articles by Columnists
    Bob Ahrens: welcoming the gift
    Buck Busfield: firings
    Ann Conlon: 1969
    Wendy Haynes Connor: in the now
    Bruce Felknor: “the divine beloved is always with you, in you and around you”
    Billy Goodrum: talking to baba
    Preeti Hay: god on a platter
    Jenny Keating: an age-old habit
    Steve Klein: it’s been fun
    Juniper Lesnik: suffering and service
  • About the Columnists About the Columnists
    Bob Ahrens
    Buck Busfield
    Ann Conlon
    Wendy Haynes Connor
    Bruce Felknor
    Billy Goodrum
    Preeti Hay
    Jenny Keating
    Steve Klein
    Juniper Lesnik
  • FAQ
  • GIFT CERTIFICATES
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • PICK OF THE MONTH
  • CONTACT US
  • DONATE

    Thank You for Your Support

    Please Enter Donation Amount

  • FACEBOOK
  • YOUTUBE

Sheriar Books, 603 Briarwood Drive, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 (843) 272-1339
Sheriar Books is a 501 (c)(3) (non-profit) corporation ©2025 Sheriar Foundation. Quotes from Meher Baba. ©AMBPPC Trust. Used by permission.