THE TRIAL OF MAN

The Trial of Man ~ 121 ~ through a test—a test to see whether he is truly the devotee of his Creator. When he fails to bow to that other, he has failed in the test set him by God. Man is always ready to prostrate himself before God, for who would have the temerity to say of God, “I am better than Him,”? It is only when we have to bow before another human being that our complexes prove a major obstacle. Where God stands alone, and does not admit of anyone being placed on a par with Him, human beings on the other hand, tend to look upon each other as rivals. This being so, one person bowing before another raises the issue of personal prestige. Ever dependent upon His Lord, man bows before Him. God is the giver. Man the receiver. Man never gives anything to God. He has nothing to give. But when man bows to man, that is quite a different state of affairs, for then he does have something to give. It may only be a kindly word that he offers, or, more importantly, it may be the recognition of another’s being in the right; sometimes it means handing over a sum of money which is due to another; sometimes it involves withdrawing from