This individual personality, that you and I have been given, is to grow; and in order to grow, the intelligent nature — or that intelligence you call God — has supplied each and everyone of us the most appropriate environment, relationships, objects and beings around us. All these have been supplied to each individual, exactly what they need. Just as in a hospital the doctor goes around, and bed to bed he instructs everything that the patient needs — his environment, his situation, what food to be taken, whether he can move about or not, whether he should go to the bathroom or not, whether he should be in the bed or not — everything is instructed. 

The patient may complain, “This doctor is only for the rich and I am a poor man; therefore he is not giving me food”. He may complain directly to the doctor. The doctor has only half an inch smile and he will console him, “Monday onwards you will get food”. And the patient treasures Monday. And when Monday comes the doctor says, “I didn’t say this Monday; next Monday. It all depends on how you appear”. At that time in his pain, the patient may curse the doctor, abuse not only him but his forefather. 

But the doctor has only a smile. Why? He has heard it from many people. But he has also experienced that after ten days when the patient would become alright and when he has been discharged, he would prostrate to the doctor and say, “Doctor! If you didn’t do it then, today, instead of I going they would have taken me. They would have carried me. You have saved me!” 

The doctor is not there to give you sorrow. But a certain amount of sorrow is unavoidable to take you out of the imperfections in the physical structure at that moment. 

In the same way, the infinitely kind Lord supplies each one of us the right environment necessary to evolve us; sometimes to some people more pain; to others more joy. But if we know that it is the process of evolution — that is, these are what is necessary for me, what I need for my growth — if we have got that much of faith in the Lord as we have for the doctor, life then becomes beautiful. Then onwards we don’t get involved in either joys or sorrows, but stand apart as a witness to watch the process. 

From then on, at all places — be it in the marketplace, in our profession, in our business, in our home, in our social contacts — we remain equipoised and balanced. We are afraid there afterwards of nothing. Tremendous courage comes to us. 

Seek this Lord in the smiles of your friends, in the glow of angry eyes, in the storms of passion. He is everywhere, in everything.

Reference: Read Daily Live Fully by Swami Chinmayananda