I recall that summer day of 1995, when I was faced with a test of my tolerance. I was twenty-one years old, and I had just received God Knowledge a few months before. Although I had understood the Divine Secret, I went through a phase of reading spiritual books and comparing the God Knowledge to the description of God in various literatures from the Mission and outside. The first book which I read after receiving God Knowledge was, "Stream of Thoughts", the English version of Vichar Pravah (based on the discourses of His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji).

During those days, I was enrolled in a summer course at my university, so my attention was diverted by my studies. But every now and then when I'd take breaks from my studies, I would continue to read the book. It helped to relax my mind and turn my attention to this vast ocean of Consciousness around me.

One day, a friend of mine who was a follower of the Sikh religion saw the book that I was reading and looked at the picture of Baba Ji on the front cover. He expressed some criticism towards Baba Ji. He could not accept the fact that Baba Ji came had a Sikh background yet He was the head of the Nirankari Mission. I tried explaining who Baba Ji is and what His Mission is about. I talked about the God Knowledge and asked him the Sikh description of God and Its whereabouts. Our discussion continued on and off for a few days. I was unsuccessful in changing his perception of Baba Ji. It was a bit frustrating. Then, the day of the test of my tolerance arrived.

I was having lunch with my friend when he uttered some harsh and inappropriate words about Baba Ji. My reaction should have been to tolerate his words with a smile, but it was not at all like that. His harsh words about Baba Ji went directly to my ego and hurt it deeply. It was the first time that someone had said such rude things about Baba Ji in front of me. I got very angry and immediately left the restaurant. The blood in my entire body was boiling. Now I can understand why there is so much fighting in the world because of religion.

A few minutes later I stopped walking and heard a voice from within ask me if this was the way I was supposed to react. It asked me if this is what Baba Ji teaches us. The virtue of tolerance came to my mind. I realized that I had reacted inappropriately by showing my anger to my friend. Although I had received God Knowledge, my actions were not in line with it or with Baba Ji's teachings. I believed that all these thoughts were coming to me from my conscience or spirit.

As I turned around and walked towards the restaurant to apologize to my friend, I saw him hurrying towards me. We both apologized for our behavior and went back to the restaurant. After this incident, I noticed that my friend's attitude towards Baba Ji had changed. He browsed through the book and became very interested in it after noticing the simplicity and universality of the Divine words of Baba Ji. He asked me whether he could borrow the book. I gladly agreed.

A few weeks later, I met my friend again. He had finished reading the book and I could see that it had a positive impact on him. He smiled at me and said, "I want to meet Baba Ji!" I was deeply touched after hearing those words. I could not believe my ears. Just a few weeks ago, my friend had insulted Baba Ji and now out of admiration he wants to meet Him. I realized that the book had convinced my friend that Baba Ji is not doing His duty on earth for name and fame, but out of love for humanity. At that moment, it became my duty to introduce my friend to Baba Ji. I had to make the efforts to fulfill his wish. Unfortunately, I failed to do so because of the immense pressure I faced from my studies. Also, at that time there was no news of Baba Ji visiting Montreal in the near future, so I had lost the desire to make such efforts.

As the months passed, and I further became immersed in my studies, I lost contact with my friend. He had moved from Montreal, but till this day I regret not making more efforts for him. I try convincing myself that maybe he was not ready (not the time) to meet the True Master and when the time comes, the Master's grace will pull my friend to His feet. Only He knows the real reason.

Even if I had introduced my friend to Baba Ji, I would not have been the doer. As Baba Avtar Singh Ji says in verse four of the Avtar Bani,

"What am I and what is my worth? It is the True Master who
does all, and I am only the means, the name."