Our business is to do what is possible; God’s business is to do what, to us, seems impossible.
Stop taking over God’s business, and stop giving up our business.
When we face challenging situations, our mind often fixates on all the ways things are currently wrong and on the many ways they could go further wrong in the future. With such thinking, we begin to feel that anything good emerging from the present situation is not just unlikely but impossible. With these feelings clouding our mind, we start giving in to hopelessness, thinking that whatever we do is pointless. This mindset can lead us to stop doing even the things that are possible for us to do.
Such hopelessness, as described in the Bhagavad-gita (18.35), is determination in the mode of ignorance—a state where we hold on to despair and fixate on the impossible.
The big picture of hope and purpose is presented in the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita, where it offers a vision of a human-divine partnership that leads to ultimate victory (18.78). For this partnership to work, we need a clear demarcation of roles and a reminder of what is our business and what is God’s business.
Our business is to do what is possible, to the best of our ability. This idea is conveyed in the Gita when it refers to Arjuna as an expert archer, now ready to fight. He is prepared to do what he can, with all his expertise and strength. Similarly, we need to be ready to do what is within our control.
God’s business, in contrast, is to handle what seems impossible to us—the obstacles that appear insurmountable and innumerable. The Gita conveys this aspect of God’s role by referring to him as “Yogeshwara,” the master of all mystic powers. When we focus on what is possible and take small yet firm steps, God springs into action, handling what we cannot manage, turning breakdowns into breakthroughs.
Unfortunately, we often suffer breakdowns because we unwittingly try to do God’s business—attempting to figure out how to deal with what feels impossible for us to handle. In doing so, we become so disheartened that we abandon our actual responsibilities.
Thankfully, God is always ready to remind us of our role and his role, helping us gain composure and confidence. As with Arjuna (18.73), he provides us with composure to do our part and confidence that he will do his part.
Summary:
- When faced with numerous obstacles, we often become discouraged and paralyzed, believing that any way out is impossible.
- We can find breakthroughs through a human-divine partnership, where we focus on what is possible while God manages what seems impossible.
- Understanding this partnership gives us composure to do our part and confidence that the Lord will do his.
Think it over:
- When faced with difficulties, how does our thinking often lead us to give up?
- What is the division of roles in the human-divine partnership, and how is this conveyed in the Bhagavad-gita’s concluding verse?
- Reflect on a current difficulty you’re facing and analyze how you can apply the dynamics of this partnership in dealing with it.
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18.78 Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.
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