ATP Diaries 1 - God waits for you ever so patiently

Date: 29th March 2016
Setting: Hostel Terrace overlooking the 'Lion Mountain' at Sri Sathya Sai Hostel for Women

V - Hey! Close your book ya, enough of acting like studying!

S - How did you make out? Well, what are you driving at? You mean to say, you want to do my favourite thing?

V - Go on! I give you the license to talk :P

S - You do the talking today, because you started it. I am in a mood to listen today.

V - (Out of the blue) I feel very new ever since I came here. I never thought I will fall in love God!

S - Not 'fall', but 'rise' with love for God! Phew, how many times to tell you V?

V - Okies, sorry. I never thought I will rise with love for God. Imagine a girl who hardly cared about God's existence in her life, now has God being the center of her life.

S - Well, I am not surprised for that is the way our Lord operates. But every time He operates in a different manner, giving different lessons. That is what I am waiting to listen to.

V - Do you remember telling me that God waits for His children and there is no patient mother like God. Didn't understand what it meant until it hit me on its own.

S - Uff!! V, will you stop building the suspense and tell me what is your's and Swami's love story?

V - It was our 1st semester and I was just not used to sitting for long hours. Sitting for something like Vedas and bhajans was still far from imagination. You know it well. It was one one morning darshan and I was trying hard not to be restless when I realized I was thirsty. Since I spotted a cooler in the Sai Kulwant Hall, I thought I could ask any of the LICs (Line-in-charges) to take me to drink some water. When I requested her to take me to drink some water, she bluntly refused and gestured to me to wait till Darshan got over. The worst thing was the grumpy face she made at me! My impatience coupled with thirst, anger and embarrassment made me shed hot tears. I did not want to cry but I just did! Trust me, I was so thirsty that I was ready to do anything to get a glass of water. Just anything!

In a fit of rage, I looked up at a photograph of Swami nearest to me and screamed inside, "People extol You so much and come from far and wide to seek Your grace. I have left my family and come here, which my roommate S calls Home, only to be refused something as petty as a glass of water. What Home is this? What Mother are You?

Even as I screamed these words inside my head, I heard a voice from that photograph which said, "You are grumbling because you were refused a glass of water and you are being made to wait for something as simple as quenching your thirst. Have you any earthly idea of how many times you have refused Me and for how long I have been waiting for you?"

My tears of anger and thirst now turned into one of gratitude, regret and happiness at the same time. The profundity of the statement hit me and I no more felt anger but love, not just love for Swami but for everything around me. I continued sitting and yes, by then I stopped throwing those rebellious looks at that particular senior. I sat closing my eyes, trying to just allow the sudden transformation to take place in me, I felt a pat. Guess who was it. The same senior who refused to give me water was right in front of me with a glass of water! I was in tears again..........

S - Tell me, do you even need a reason to cry? One cry baby only you are! Jokes apart, wow V! I remember seeing a changed you after that particular Parthi trip. Had no clue what had cooked then. Very glad you told me!

V - Since then the love story has continued and I hope and pray I will never have to keep Him waiting. (Looking at a lost S) Can we get back to our books now?

S - Sure, we shall. But wait a minute, did Swami speak to you in Telugu or English? I mean, did He really use the word 'earthly'? That's like wow!

V - (Throwing that you-will-never-change look) Understood! You are going to make a diary entry of this aren't you? By the way, yes, Swami spoke in English!

S - You made my day. Thank you V.