Make God both the defining center and the driving force of your life – Devotion is not just about making God the defining center of our life; it is also about making him the driving force of our life.
Whenever we try to grow spiritually, we are often told to make God—Krishna—the center of our life. And yes, he is meant to be the defining center of our life, just as satellites revolve around a planet. We, too, are meant to ensure that everything we do revolves around him, that we cultivate his remembrance, and that he becomes the purpose of all our activities. When God becomes the central reality for us, we understand that not only have all the good things in our life come from his blessings, but also that the blesser is far more important than the blessings—that while everything of value is artha (a goal or object of value), he alone is paramartha (the supreme object of value).
Simultaneously, we need to make God the driving force of our life, understanding unequivocally that a life of devotion is not a life of passive meditation, or even just contemplative meditation; it is a life of active dedication and dynamic contribution. Bhagavad Gita 9.13 emphasizes how the inner life of saintly devotees is centered on Krishna. Yet the very next verse declares that these very devotees endeavor with great determination to serve Krishna in various ways. This refers to the energy they bring to external activities, where they are empowered by a force far beyond their own to face down opposing forces, overcome gigantic obstacles, and cross over seemingly unsurpassable barriers by divine grace, as assured in Bhagavad Gita 18.58.
There is much that is wrong in the world, and there is much that God wants to set right. There is also much that he wants us to do in his service to set things right in the world. After hearing the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna concludes with a bold proclamation: “I will do your will,” thereby conveying that Krishna has become his driving force.
When we make the Lord the defining center of our life, we fix things in our heart. When we make him the driving force of our life, we become better equipped to fix things in our world—or at least in our corner of the world, with the corner being as small or as large as our Lord may empower us to serve in.
Summary:
- When we make Krishna the defining center of our life, he becomes the supreme value for us, and our heart becomes fixed by becoming fixed in him.
- When we make Krishna the driving force of our life, we become instruments of his will, empowered to fix things in the world for his service and pleasure.
- When God becomes both the defining center and the driving force of our life, our devotion becomes holistic and transforms both our inner and outer worlds.
Think it over:
- What does making God the defining center of our life mean?
- What does making God the driving force of our life mean?
- List two ways you can make God the defining center and the driving force of your life.
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09.14 Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.
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