Back at the ashram, I was heading one morning to the purifying consecrated waters.

Once you arrive they give you a piece of orange cloth to change – leaving the clothes and items you came with on an open shelf.

You then go into the waters, do the cleansing practices and come back to pick your stuff up and continue with your day.

This specific morning I had just left my valuables at a separate “coat-check” area and as I walked I was questioning why I was so concerned with my phone being stolen.

“If I trust life so deeply, why do I not trust to leave things on an open shelf?”

On one hand the thought came that if it’s not my karma, why worry at all about what might happen?..

On the other hand, I had a thousand reasons to be protective of my phone (travel visas, client projects, banking resources, and so on…)

As I was about to enter, the security guy said “Guys, please be mindful of your valuables, do not leave your phone unattended…”

And the guy behind me shouted “Why should I worry? Shiva will protect my stuff!”

And the security guy giggled and said “Well, some misbehaving guys would have differed with you this morning.”

The timing of their exchange was uncanny.

Right away I remembered a tale from a muslim mystic where he said “Tie your camel first, and then put your trust in Allah.”

Or in other words:

Do not outsource responsibility and sensible action to something/someone up in the sky.

To expect for the divine to take care of “bad things” not happening would require that he/she also takes care of “good things” happening to you.

And here’s a secret truth:

The universe will NEVER move its hand to intervene before you do.

If the source of life would influence YOUR life, what makes you think its influence would not be best suited do be made manifest THROUGH YOU?

Not to say there are rare cases where things happen, but to live in a way where you relinquish sovereignty out of wishful, idealistic thinking is just stupid.

Devotion does not mean that something higher will sort your life out on your behalf..

No.

It means that you’ll be unbridled in your involvement and pouring of all that you are, into everything you are doing..

And because of that, God’s hand will be felt.

Through you, as you, most of the time.

So DO YOUR BEST…

and trust the rest.

In that order.

Always.