Baba says, ‘Mahavirs are never afraid of storms. Instead of fighting the storms of Maya, remain unshakeable and immovable.’

On this spiritual path, there will be storms. Sometimes, I think that because I’m God’s child, there won’t be any storms but storms come to everybody. In fact, there will be more storms that come to the children of God. Why? because I am going against the tide. Baba is new and the knowledge is new and it takes faith to stay standing.

Some of the most difficult tests will come from my own family members- they see me behave differently than them and it makes them feel uncomfortable, like they are not good enough. And rather than change themselves, they’d rather I change and go back to the way I used to be. They want me to eat and drink like I used to, partake in the entertainment like I used to, socialize like I used to. Sometimes, it’s much bigger- there is fighting and even abuse because I have chose a life of purity, specifically, celibacy. ‘People in the world don’t understand our matters, or this knowledge if it is not in their fortune’, says Baba and so they oppose, threaten and even issue an ultimatum: ‘either change your ways and return to how it used to be or leave.’

And that’s really hard – there’s the hurt of being kicked out or being disowned by my own family, and friends but in a lot of cases, there is also the financial aspect. I don’t have an income of my own to support myself. I have never lived on my own before in my life, I just don’t know how this is going to work, what I will do, where I will go. At that moment, if I am not careful, I can allow the fear to engulf me, shut all my mental resources down and leave me feeling paralyzed, helpless. This is likely the most important cross-road of my life and I have a decision to make: will I return to the impure life or will I trust God?

‘A faithful intellect is always victorious‘, says Baba. Despite all the circumstances being against me, even when it looks like I might become homeless, if I can dare to take that one step in faith toward God, if I choose Him against all odds, He will meet me there, in my place of brokenness, this is a guarantee. God is faithful and He works where there is faith. All along the path, there will be these tests, some small, some big that test my faith. Whom will I choose? Whom or what do I love more? Whom do I keep first in my life? If the answer is God, then I am His responsibility. He becomes my Protector, my Provider, my Benefactor. He will ALWAYS come through.

‘I come to save the Draupadis from being stripped’, says the Father. Draupadi in her time of trial decided to first approach her husbands and they were not ordinary men, they were the greatest warriors of the time! But they couldn’t help her. Next, she went to the elders in the family- those that were the keepers of the code of conduct, the protectors of the family. They couldn’t help her either. Finally, when she had gone to every person she knew, she remembered God and He rescued here. This story teaches me a couple things: 1) no one can help me except God 2) the longer I take to turn to Him, the more I prolong my suffering or trial. ‘Surrender yourself to the Father’, He says. When I put my life in His hands, He becomes instantly responsible for me. Why would I delay this? Let me not waste another moment of my life knocking on the doors of human beings, let me turn to God. Let me keep Him first in my life, let me rely on Him. Then, no matter how big the storm, how much thunder or lightning it comes with to try to scare me, I stand firm in the faith that God will protect me. And He ALWAYS does.

‘I come to establish the kingdom’, He reminds me. A kingdom, by definition, isn’t a democracy. It has one king who sets the rules for everyone to follow. In God’s kingdom, He sets the rules for all to follow. ‘Follow Shrimat and you will become elevated masters of heaven‘, He teaches. There is one Shrimat, one code of conduct -and it is very clear. There is no need for me to listen to others’ opinions and cast a vote, or agree with a majority. The only choice is to follow Shrimat if I want to enter the kingdom of God. If I follow it, I become God’s helper in furthering His kingdom and in turn, He becomes responsible for my every need. If I am battling between Shrimat and following the dictates of my own mind due to fear of rejection from the world, or if I am caught up in the dictates of others, then I am depriving myself of the awesome rest and comfort that comes with being God’s child.

Where there is faith, there are also no questions. I am not spinning in: ‘why did this happen to me?’, ‘how could this happen?’, ‘what will I do now?’ and neither will I ask God: ‘Baba, they are going to kick me out, what should I do?’. Even asking that shows shakiness in my faith. Instead, when I have firm faith in Baba, in my own destiny, in His knowledge, and in this auspicious time of ascent, I simply step out in faith because I KNOW that’s what I need to do. I don’t worry about what, or how, I know that I am in His hands and have nothing to worry about. Now, all I have to do is watch His miracle, watch Him get to work in my life! It is ONLY and ONLY my faith that activates God’s power in my life.

Brahma Baba demonstrated the power of faith through his own life. He faced opposition from family, friends, and outsiders alike, he faced crisis that looked insurmountable with there not even being enough food to eat at one point. But through it all, Baba never fought with anyone or try to defend himself. He remained light knowing that truth doesn’t need to be defended, it will reveal itself. Rather than panic or get caught up in the wasteful spinning of ‘why, what or how’, he simply applied the full-stop of ‘nothing new‘! He trusted his life to God and remained carefree himself. Shiv Baba says, ‘follow father. You too must become mahavirs. Instead of fighting the storms of Maya, simply remain unshakeable and immovable.’

The praise of God’s children is not one of struggle or effort-making, it is of super-sensuous joy. Mahavirs aren’t afraid of storms, He tells me lovingly, you sweet children should have courage! God has adopted you! and so you should have so much happiness. The Father has come to make you children worthy of heaven.