The dynamics of the human-divine partnership
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 [...]
How devotional surrender brings enrichment not resentment
How devotional surrender brings enrichment not resentment Devotional surrender means that what our Lord speaks, our heart seeks. The notion of surrender often doesn’t [...]
Stop trying to engineer a life of devotion
A life of devotion is not something to be engineered; it is something to be entered. When we face life’s challenges and try to keep [...]
Our waiting is God’s vetting
To be patient in our faith, know that our waiting is God's vetting. Most of us hate to wait. We live in a culture that [...]
Why the peace from faith does not lead to passivity
The peace that comes from faith does not lead to passivity in action; it leads to purity in vision and intention. When we are faced [...]
When our prayers are unanswered
When a prayer seems unanswered, God is not depriving us of a blessing. He is delivering us to a better blessing. One of the greatest [...]
Are we treating God like a problem-solving machine?
God is not a winning machine where we input rituals of worship and get the results of success. He is a loving person who responds [...]
From the eyes of doubt to the eyes of faith
Doubt sees the difficulties life has brought us to: faith sees the difficulties God has brought us through. When we are faced with difficulties, especially [...]
Healthy relationship with food: Three parameters
Eating is one of life’s most essential and enjoyable activities. It’s essential because we cannot sustain our bodies, and we can't even survive if we [...]
Be upright not uptight be gentle but not fickle
To be upright means to have high moral integrity and resistance to temptation or corruption. On the other hand, to be uptight means to be [...]
Are we dismissing as problems the people who point out problems?
Just because people dismiss those who point out problems by labeling them as the problem doesn’t eliminate the problems; it exacerbates them. When we are [...]
Fostering a healthy relationship between our higher and lower selves
Suppose a parent and child were walking together, and the child slipped and fell. Naturally, the parent would help the child up and encourage [...]
Balancing fear and hope in our relationship with ourselves
When considering our relationship with ourselves, it’s essential to recognize both our potential for great positive change and our capacity for self-sabotage. While no [...]
A pragmatic approach to facing life’s reversals
When faced with reversals in life, it is natural to question, Why is this happening to me? While it is important to use our intelligence [...]
Cultivating a healthy relationship with ourselves
We often emphasize the importance of healthy relationships with others, but even more crucial is having a healthy relationship with ourselves. In a healthy relationship, [...]
Safeguarding intelligence from corruption by lower desires
Our intelligence is designed to counter our lower desires, not to serve them. However, we all have desires that can bring out the worst in [...]
Detachment: Gaining flexibility and perspective
Attachments often make us rigid in ways that are curious, as we become inflexible about things that aren’t particularly important. For example, we might [...]
Combating addiction: Recognizing the battle within
Combating addiction: Recognizing the battle within Whenever someone is abducted, the abductor demands a ransom for the person’s release. The most fiendish abductors, however, continually [...]
How to see our inner darkness and see beyond the inner darkness
How to see our inner darkness and see beyond the inner darkness We all have dark desires within us—selfish, manipulative, and even abusive tendencies. If [...]
Gita 02.22 – Explanation from Bhakti Shastri Class
BG 2.22 vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grihnati naro 'parani tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi SYNONYMS vasamsi -- garments; jirnani -- [...]
Analyzing why we succumb to temptation
Suppose a person were caught by the traffic police for speeding. If it was the first time that person was apprehended and they claimed that [...]