Baba says, “Remember the Supreme Soul. He alone is the Protector of All. Therefore, remember Shiv Baba. He is the only One. Everyone receives the inheritance from just the One.“

For half a cycle, I was living like an orphan, fending for myself, looking over my shoulder as I walked down the street, looking out for myself, trying to protect myself and my family, worried about what the future might hold, anxious about the situation I find myself in. And yes, when I am on my own, I do have a good reason to be worried. But here’s the good news- I am no longer on my own, I belong to God; I just have to remember this. “The first faith you need to have is who it is that you now belong to.“, says Baba.

I have now been adopted by God as His own child. As a soul, I am always His child but at this most auspicious time, God becomes my Father practically. He isn’t my Father just in words, He is my Father who is bound in the drama to love me, feed me, protect me, take care of my needs…the whole works. He is now, practically, the Guardian of I, the soul. I am no longer doing life just by myself. I have a Protector and Benefactor, a Charioteer who is steering my boat towards victory. He didn’t just adopt me and say: “Okay, good luck, here’s a map and directions. Now make sure you get to the destination correctly.” No! God is Baba- my Father; He is also my Teacher who teaches me about who I am- a pure, powerful soul, about Whom I belong to- I am the child of the Highest-on-High, the Almighty Powerful and about this most auspicious time. He also becomes my Satguru or Guide who guides me every step of the way. That means, He shows me and cautions me about traps along the path, He watches over what kind of company I keep, what kind of entertainment I watch/read, what I wear, what kind of lifestyle I have….everything. He gets involved in every tiniest aspect of my life and guides me about the righteous way to live- that means the way through which I never think, say, do things that cause myself or others sorrow or loss. Previously I was trying to do all this by myself but because I didn’t have guidance, I always made wrong choices. Now, He teaches me.

He knows how to keep every harm away, rescue me from every trap; nothing can snatch me out of God’s hands. There have been so many things He has already protected me from, disasters He has averted that if I were to be aware of them, I wouldn’t worry about anything that is happening now. I would stay in peace knowing that God is in-charge. I am not at the mercy of ‘luck’, I have a Mother and Father- a Guardian, a Protector, a Benefactor. He guards me now and always. Sure, storms will come, situations will come, opposition will come but unlike before, I no longer get anxious or panicked about it. I know I am not alone, that my Protector is right there with me and that He will get me through every storm safely, stronger, more courageous and with my faith increased.

But the key to experience His protection, His companionship, His strength is to belong to Him as His child and remember Him alone. I have to rely on Him alone. If I say: “I belong to Baba anyway” and then run to lokik relatives and friends for advice, for guidance etc., then it doesn’t work. There has to be full surrender to the One alone. “Those who only remember BapDada are said to be real children. If anyone else is remembered, you are then stepchildren.“, distinguishes Baba. Stepchildren cannot receive the full inheritance because they are straddling two boats. They cannot experience His protection and sustenance, they remain confused and anxious, trying to figure things out on their own. If I am the real child, on the other hand, then no Maya can touch me. Even if the body is sick, it doesn’t bog me down, I remain cheerful. I know I am being taken care of by my Mother and Father and so my thoughts and words are a world apart from those of stepchildren. I say things like: “Baba, You are my Protector and Benefactor, nothing can touch me.” Unlike stepchildren, I don’t say things like: “I have this sickness, my anger, I am hurting from my betrayal” etc. No negative thing is ‘mine’, I don’t accept it. I only think and speak faith-filled and courageous words. When a situation or illness comes, I see it as temporary, this too shall pass. When someone betrays me, I don’t hold a grudge and try to get them back, I forgive because I know God is protecting me. If it happened, then I settled something, I let it go and move on.

Sometimes, the circumstance might seem impossible and at those times, if I am not careful, Maya will try to convince me that God has forgotten about me or that He doesn’t love me. Nothing could be further from the truth; God is my Father and Guide. He is on my side 100% and is working to rescue me, to ensure that I emerge victoriously. God knows how to hide me from trouble. If people are trying to push me out, I just need to stay on the high road knowing that God is working on my side. I might not see anything change, in fact, it might even seem as if things are getting worse but I go by faith, not by sight. Arjuna lived by unshakeable faith in His Friend. At one point in the great Mahabharata war, Arjuna took an oath to kill the person who had killed his young son by deceit before sunset or end his own life. But before he could get to the enemy, the sun had already set. In the natural, it looked like the war was over, Arjuna and the Pandavas had lost. As per his oath, Arjuna was about to end his life when just like that, there was the sun again! And what’s more, the enemy had come forward to watch Arjuna die and celebrate their victory. In doing so, he practically presented himself to Arjuna, he made things so easy. All Arjuna had to do now was pick up his weapon and finish the enemy. When I realize that my Father is God Himself, it changes my perspective. The impossible doesn’t seem impossible, I find the faith and courage to believe that I will still emerge victorious. All I have to do is believe.

There is a lot of panic, fear and negativity in the world today. Yes, the threats are real but I don’t have to let it get inside me. The Boatman is taking my boat across. It is not a problem that there is so much water and waves all around the boat; it only becomes a problem when the water gets into the boat. Let me co-operate with the Boatman by staying in His remembrance alone- this is my safe place. As long as I am here, I cannot be harmed. If I watch the news all day, I will feel bogged down. Let me instead think thoughts that are pure, wholesome, uplifting, inspiring, that builds my faith. The daily murli is the treasure trove of such thoughts. It reminds me every day who my Father is and what He thinks about me. Throughout the day, let me churn on these pure thoughts, let me thank God for being my Teacher, my Guide, my Protector, my Benefactor, my Friend, my Companion; For being my most Beloved Father. If I can get this reality down in my bones, then I will live my best life, having claimed my inheritance of a victorious life. I will live from a place of peace and rest knowing that because I belong to God, I cannot be defeated.