… The Buddha taught that to be a human is already a great good fortune and the opportunity should not be wasted, therefore, waste no time for life is fleeting. He stressed the importance of taking advantage of the golden opportunity and not to spend it in world pursuits, for they are ephemeral and based on transient illusions. This admonition was also repeated by Jesus who taught that it is better to store up treasures in heaven where they are eternal, rather than on earth where they are transient…”
From I : Reality and Subjectivity p. 161-162
To choose love for God activates the love of God by prayer and worship. Therefore, despondency may be the very trigger that opens the door to the emergence of spiritual interest and progress. Many have found God only in the pits of hopelessness and despair. The ego is so strong that sometimes only severe ‘hitting bottom’ is a strong enough stimulus to activate the willingness to surrender allegiance to the ego’s domination. When activated, the spirit within is renewed, and apathy is replaced by hope. To ‘pray ceaselessly’ may be the only option available to work through some severe or prolonged periods of karmic debt. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘test of faith’, which is best traversed by conviction that ‘this too shall pass’, and “They also serve who stand and wait.”