The Blank Book

Once there lived a man who had never heard of God. One day, someone knocked at his door. The man opened the door to find another man who said, “I’ve come to tell you about God.”

The man was surprised, for he had never known such a person existed. “Who is God? Where can I meet Him?”

The guest replied, “You have to come to the Christian church. It is the only place where the real God abides, and there you can meet Him. I’ll come tomorrow to take you to Him.”

The man closed the door and went about his daily tasks, eventually forgetting about the unexpected visitor. Then came another knock at the door.

“I’ve come to tell you about God,” said the visitor.

“This is the second person today who wants to tell me about God,” thought the man, who knew nothing about the Creator.
“Who is God? Where can I meet Him?”

“You have to go to a Muslim mosque. It is the only place where the real God abides, and only there you can meet Him. I’ll come tomorrow to take you to Him,” said the second visitor.

The man was surprised but didn’t pay much attention to this caller either. After some time, someone knocked at his door again.

“I’ve come to tell you about God,” said the third visitor.

“Who is this God everyone is talking about? Where can I meet Him?” asked the man.

“Only in the Hindu temple does the real God abide, and only there you can meet Him. I’ll come tomorrow to take you to Him.”

After the third visit, the man really started to think about God. His desire to meet God grew, and became a longing for something so unknown, yet so close at the same time.

The man pondered to himself, “The visitors will return tomorrow. Which one should I follow? Where can I find the real God?” He tossed and turned in his bed the whole night, trying to decide whom to believe and where to go. It was only towards the morning did he fall asleep to see a beautiful dream.

The man dreamt he was in a green meadow, the very same meadow in which he had spent many beautiful moments of his childhood playing with the insects, the grass and the flowers; it was a time when he had no doubt as to who he was and what he has to do. The day was sunny and warm. He was sitting in the grass cross-legged, and another man, very much like him, was sitting opposite him.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

“I’m God, and you know it.”

“No. I know nothing about You. But I would like to meet You and get to know You. Where can I find You?”

“I’m sitting right in front of you. You can never find Me because you never lost Me.”

“No, God! I only heard about You today, when three men wanted to take me to You. Please wait for me. Tomorrow, I’ll go with the Christian to the church to learn more about You.”

“I won’t be waiting for you, because I never left you. I am always with you, and you know it.”

“No, God! Please wait for me. If I won’t find You in the church, I’ll go with the Muslim to the mosque. I’ll discover who You are, and come to You.”

“You can neither come to Me nor leave Me, for we are ONE.”

“No, God! How is that possible? I don’t know anything about You. I’ll go to the Hindu temple. I’ll learn everything about You, and then I’ll come to honour and worship You.”

God smiled and said, “You are like a book with blank pages. You don’t contain a single note, a word or picture.

“You can go to the Christians, and they’ll write in your book, their story about Me.

“You can go to the Muslims, and they’ll write their story about Me in your book.

“The Hindus will also have something about Me to pen down in your book.

“But you can be a writer too, because today you’ve met Me. So you can write your own story about Me in your book, which contains only blank pages at the moment. If you will let Me, I will help you start writing your book.”

The man understood that he really was talking to God. He said, “Yes, please help me start the book!”

God gave the man a thick bound book with blank pages. The man turned the pages, and saw that on the top of each page, there were the same words written over and over again.

God said, “Ask for My help and start each day of your life, which is like one blank page in your book, with Love, Peace, Non-violence, Truth, and Fairness. Then, every story of yours about Me will be true!”

In the morning, the man woke up in a cheerful mood. He tidied the house, put on clean clothes and waited for the guests.

Lovingly, the man received the Christian. He asked him to come in, offered him tea and sweets, and carefully listened to all that the Christian told him about God. With love and peace, the man saw the guest out, and said that he could come to his home whenever he wanted.

The Muslim was received with love too. The man offered him tea and sweets, and carefully listened to all that the Muslim told him about God. With concern and patience, the man saw this guest out too, and before bidding him farewell impressed on him that he was always  welcome to his humble dwelling.

When the Hindu came, the man received him with a loving smile, and offered him snacks and drinks. He carefully listened to everything that the Hindu told him about God. And again with peace and patience, the man saw the third guest out, and told him that he could feel free to visit him whenever he wanted.

At the end of the day, the man opened the book with the blank pages, and began to write his story of God.

“The God that I saw in my dream and the Gods that I was told about by the Christian, the Muslim, and the Hindu, have something in common. That is — Love, Truth, Fairness, Non-violence and Peace.”

And the man finished his first story about God with the conclusion:

“THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, AND HE IS EVERYWHERE!”

By Ms. Rita Ivanova, Latvia
Illustrations: Ms. Sowmya Roopa

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- Heart2Heart Team