We are being watched, followed, and pursued. Every minute detail of our lives is observed and catalogued, down to the faintest thought, action, and feeling.
Is it Flock cameras? AI bots building a marketing profile? Some other nefarious watcher? Perhaps—unfortunately, almost certainly—there is some of that. But no, the ultimate force watching your every move is a powerful force of divine love.
The silent Watcher is the conscious Spirit behind our own consciousness and everything in, and beyond, creation. Sometimes called God, this conscious, loving Presence is aware of us and seeks our highest good in everything. And this love is not passive. It is actively seeking to help each person—indeed, everything in creation—fulfill its highest potential.
There is a beautiful poem, The Hound of Heaven, by Francis Thompson, which describes this divine pursuit. The poem portrays a soul fleeing from God, only gradually to discover that the One from whom he has been running is the very source of all love, joy, and fulfillment.
“I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years…”
Much of the spiritual life is an unfolding inquiry, a journey of self-discovery, and an increasingly conscious seeking of higher consciousness—of God. Although it requires effort, discipline, devotion, and more, it is worth reflecting that God is, in fact, seeking us—perhaps even more than we are seeking Him.
And what are we really running from? Francis Thompson’s answer is ultimately one of divine compassion. The soul discovers that behind every disappointment, every loss, and every restless search was the loving pursuit of the One who knew what would truly make us whole.
St. Augustine of Hippo wrote:“You have made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until the find their rest in Thee.”
Paramhansa Yogananda shared a deeply moving story of the great illumined master, the Buddha, and his encounter with a beautiful courtesan.
One day, Buddha and his celibate disciples were resting beneath a tree when a courtesan approached, drawn to the radiant beauty and magnetism of the great Master. Overcome with feeling, she ran toward him and exclaimed, “O beautiful Shining One, I love thee.”
To the astonishment of his disciples, Buddha replied, “Beloved, I love thee too. Do not touch me now, however. Not yet.”
Years passed. Then one day, while meditating with his disciples, Buddha suddenly cried out, “I must go! My beloved, the courtesan, is calling me; she needs me now. I must fulfill my promise to her.”
The disciples followed anxiously. When they arrived at the same tree where Buddha had first met her, they found the once-beautiful woman lying there, gravely ill and covered with smallpox sores. Everyone recoiled from her.
But Buddha took her in his arms, placed her head in his lap, and whispered, “Beloved, I have come to prove my love to thee, and to fulfill my promise to touch thee. I have waited for a long time to demonstrate my true love, for I love thee when everyone else has ceased loving thee.”
This is divine love. It does not depend on beauty, success, usefulness, or even our ability to love in return. It sees beyond all outward appearances to the divine soul beneath.
Remember that God loves you perfectly and completely, exactly as you are. And yet, God loves us too much to leave us just as we are. His love is not sentimental or passive; it is a transforming force, forever calling, urging us on toward our highest Self.
Sri Yukteswar describes divine love in Autobiography of a Yogi:
“Ordinary love is selfish, darkly rooted in desires and satisfactions. Divine love is without condition, without boundary, without change. The flux of the human heart is gone forever at the transfixing touch of pure love.”
Yes, there is much to cause despair and discouragement in this world. There is great suffering and sorrow all around us, even as there is great love, joy, and hope. Therein lies a simple choice, even in the face of the greatest obstacles and difficulties. In fact, it is like an ultimatum: turn away from God and let discouragement and despair win the day, or turn toward God and discover ever greater divine love, joy, and hope.
Perhaps the greatest surprise on the spiritual path is that we eventually discover that we are not making the journey alone. We may think that we have found God through meditation and devotion, or long years of searching effort. But looking back we may realize that He was the One who found us first—and that through every seeming mistake, disappointment, and attempt to escape Him, divine love was quietly pursuing us.
This is the beautiful essence of The Hound of Heaven. After fleeing from God and searching everywhere else for fulfillment, the soul finally hears the Divine Beloved say:
“Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He Whom thou seekest!”
What we have been seeking all along is also seeking us. And when finally realize this and turn within, opening our hearts, we find God there. He has been watching over us, guiding us, and loving us every step of the way.
God and the great Gurus and saints are watching, guiding and helping us. They are blessing us with Divine Love.
Let us remember this Divine Pursuit–and live with greater dedication to receiving, living in, and sharing Divine Love with all.
