When I become a true follower of God, I find that it is not easy to follow Him. The transformation doesn’t take place overnight. He doesn’t wave a magic wand or teach me a mantra or give me a ring to wear around my finger. It is a process, He teaches me knowledge. He gives me directions that He expects me to follow no matter how hard they might feel, no matter how I feel about them, whether I understand the reason for them or not…I have to obey. That implies that I have to die alive from the old ways. And what I have to die alive from is different for different people. It may be some limited desire, an intimacy, an object or position I’ve set my heart on, a relationship…whatever. I have to die alive from all those bondages. Else, I cannot return home.

Sometimes I think that as long as I recognize God, accept Him as my Father and live a decent life, that’s all I have to do. No! God wants me to follow Him, transform myself such that I change from human into deity. Every father wants his child to reach their highest potential, not settle for mediocre. “There are eight main ones. You have to claim your full fortune of the kingdom and you have to churn the ocean of knowledge for that. This is the pilgrimage of the intellects’ yoga. You have to race to the Father. Check: How much did I remember the Father throughout the day? How many did I change from thorns into flowers?” When a athlete prepares for a race, they prepare with the goal to win the top prize- the gold medal. They exercise self-control in all things. If they were to say that they will follow a strict diet but then get careless and party all night, then it doesn’t work. It has to be all things together. Same here. “Don’t think that you can remember Shiv Baba and also continue to dirty your face at the same time. In that case, you won’t be able to receive your fortune of the kingdom.“, says Baba. If I run the race, then I ought to run it to win it. I ought to live this final birth in such a way in which I win for all time. “Each of you can ask yourself: What kind of flower am I? Am I a rose or a spiritual rose? Am I doing service like Mama and Baba? You have to ask yourself: How much do I remember the Father? How much service do I do?“, teaches Baba. The question is not “can I come into heaven?”, the question ought to be: “Can I marry Shri Narayan or Shri Lakshmi?“

Sometimes, I hear that and wonder: “Wow, does this mean that I can never make a mistake?” No, that’s not what that means. It means that I have a loving intellect, that is, a heart that is turned toward the Father. A heart that wants nothing more than to obey the Father. It means that I make choices and decisions that please the Father but there will be times when I will falter, when I will stumble. But in those times, I don’t just give up and stop there. I learn from my mistake and keep on moving forward. This is called living a victorious life. I am not bound to the old world, I am not bound to my weaknesses, I don’t wallow in guilt, regret and self-pity. I keep learning, I keep on moving forward on the journey with the Father as my Guide.

“This is called the time of destruction. This is now your final birth.“, reminds the Father repeatedly. In no other spiritual gathering do they have an aim or objective. Here I do. This is a race and at the end, only eight win. It is by having remembrance that they go ahead of everyone.