Putting Time And Effort Into Your Relationship With God

How do we show our affection towards someone ?
Someone is coming to visit you.
You go to pick him up from the airport or railway station.
This is how you show that you care.
Take him or her around for sightseeing.
You are dedicating your time and effort.
You are spending your time and effort.
Even if you are staying awake and talking to him, you are still spending time and effort.
If you are giving someone a gift.
Where does it come from ?
From money that you have earned or money that you have, or you have made it yourself, spending time and effort.
This applies to God as well.
This applies to spirituality as well.
Give time to God.
Put effort for God.
If you look around you will see two kinds of objects - natural and man made.
Rivers, mountains, forests, stones, they are all natural.
You have not contributed anything towards their creation.
Then there are buildings, roads, gardens, vehicles which have come out of human effort.
Where to direct your physical effort is up to you.
It is under your control.
When that guest is arriving, you can either go to pick him up or you can simply sit in your living room and watch tv.
That is your choice.
From the point of view of the guest, which one would he like ?
Definitely he would love to see someone waiting at the airport to pick him up.
He would love to see that you care.
Next time you visit him, he will be there at the airport to pick you up.
This applies to God also.
God responds to emotions.
God responds only to emotions.
That's why we have so many stotras, so many praises.
Show your emotion to God, he will respond to you.
Tell him complaints, that he is being unfair to you, he is not doing his part, he will also ask you , are you doing your part ?
Are you doing what you are expected to do ?
What you are supposed to do ?
Make sure that you do what you are expected to do before pointing fingers at me.
Instead of that, show him that you care, he will also take care of you.
God is like a mirror.
You make faces, you get to see that only.
You smile , you will get to see smiles.
So, this is the concept when you do puja, when you do yajnas.
Dedicating time and effort, making something and offering to God.
There is a Tulasi plant.
It is getting everything that it needs naturally.
Water, sunlight, everything.
There is no contribution from your side.
But then, you make a garland of jasmine flower, offer chandana, kumkuma, bring a pot of water and offer it, make some naivedya and offer it, perform archana with Tulasyashtottara, then there is time and effort from your side.
Then you get a response.
It is like Google voice search or Alexa.
It is already there in the device.
But then, you have to speak, then you get the response.
A Tulasi plant in your compound, neglected, will not bless you.
A Tulasi plant in your compound when worshiped will bless you.
Divinity will become active for you, God will become active for you only as a response to what you do.