We all like to think we’re in control. We like to believe that each decision we make shapes the course of our lives, that we’re steering the ship through calm seas, even when we’re sailing through stormy waters. But deep down, there’s a quiet truth that we often miss—there’s a bigger plan unfolding, one we can’t fully understand in the moment. You know that feeling when everything in your life seems chaotic, disconnected, like you’re just stumbling from one situation to the next, trying to find your way? We all get it. But what if that path you’re walking was always meant to be exactly how it is? What if it only makes sense when you look back and see how the pieces fit together?

Trust the Journey You Can’t See

Trust the journey; understanding comes with time.

The Bhagavad Gita isn’t a “self-help” book, and it wasn’t written to offer simple advice. It’s a timeless piece of wisdom that speaks to the complexity of human life. In it, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that life’s purpose is not something we can control or even fully comprehend while we’re living it. Instead, the path we’re on—every step, every misstep—is part of a larger picture that reveals itself over time. Krishna doesn’t give Arjuna a detailed blueprint of how things will play out. Instead, he tells him: “You must act, but the results are not in your hands.”
In other words, you can control your actions, but you cannot always control the outcome. It’s this wisdom that we often forget in our fast-paced lives. We work tirelessly toward what we think we want, and when it doesn’t turn out the way we expected, we feel lost. But here’s the kicker: It’s in the letting go that we often find our true direction. We may not see the connection in the moment, but when we look back, we’ll realize that all those pieces we thought were random were actually connected in ways we couldn’t have imagined.

Surrender to Life’s Flow

Life’s unpredictability cannot be controlled or planned.

It’s easy to think we’re supposed to know exactly where we’re going. We spend our entire lives chasing goals—graduating, finding the perfect job, meeting “the one.” We’re led to believe that there’s a straight path to happiness, success, fulfillment. But life isn’t linear. It’s messy. It’s chaotic. It’s unpredictable. It’s not a road you can neatly plan out in advance, and the more you try to control it, the more it slips through your fingers. The Gita invites us to think differently.
Instead of focusing on the destination, it suggests we surrender to the process. Trust that life will unfold as it is meant to. Every setback, every mistake, every wrong turn is part of the journey. There’s wisdom in the waiting. There’s value in the uncertainty. The answer isn’t about forcing life into a mold; it’s about flowing with it and trusting that the bigger picture will become clear in time. When you let go of the need to control every moment, you start to see things differently. You become aware that each experience, good or bad, is guiding you toward something greater—whether you realize it in the moment or not.

Understanding What You Couldn’t See in the Moment

Only in reflection does life’s path make sense.

Here’s the truth no one wants to hear: You can’t understand your life as you’re living it. You just can’t. You don’t see the connections between people, events, or decisions while you’re in the middle of them. It’s only when you look back that it all makes sense. Take a moment to reflect on your life—where you are now, and where you’ve been. Think of the times you thought you were completely lost, unable to find your way.
You didn’t know why you were going through certain things, why certain people came into your life, why you were faced with the challenges you were. But now, looking back, don’t you see how all those things were part of your journey? How each experience led you here, to this very moment? The Gita teaches us that we can’t always understand our path as it unfolds, but that’s not a failure. It’s a reminder that there’s a purpose to everything—even when we don’t see it. The path was chosen before you walked it. You just didn’t know it yet.

The Role of Detachment: Finding Peace in Uncertainty

Detach from outcomes, find peace in the process.

Now, let’s talk about detachment. No, it doesn’t mean you should go around acting like you don’t care about anything. It means understanding that attachment to specific outcomes causes us pain. If you hold on too tightly to the way you think life should be, you will constantly be disappointed. But if you learn to detach from the need to control every aspect of life, you begin to experience peace.
In the Gita, Krishna advises Arjuna to act without attachment to the fruits of his labor. This doesn’t mean inaction; it means acting with purpose, but without becoming obsessed with the outcome. When you focus on the process, on what you can control, you free yourself from the burden of expectations.

The Bigger Picture: Trusting What You Can’t See

Life’s struggles are necessary for personal growth.

Life is a series of moments, and in each moment, you may not understand the significance of what’s happening. But when you step back and look at your life from a distance, you’ll see how all the pieces fit together. The heartbreaks, the failures, the moments of confusion—they were all necessary to bring you where you are today.
And that’s where true wisdom lies: understanding that life doesn’t have to make sense right now. It doesn’t have to be perfect, neat, or easy. The pieces will fall into place when the time is right, even if you don’t have the full picture yet. You don’t have to control everything. In fact, you never could. The Gita teaches us that life is unfolding as it should, and our role is to trust in that process.

Embracing Life’s Uncertainty with Grace
So, the next time life feels uncertain, when things aren’t going according to plan, remember this: the path was chosen before you even walked it. You don’t need to understand everything right now. What matters is that you keep moving forward, trusting that, in time, the purpose behind every experience will become clear.
And when it does? You’ll look back and realize that everything you’ve gone through—every up and down, every joy and pain—was leading you to exactly where you needed to be. It may not make sense now, but it will. Eventually. And that, my friend, is the wisdom of the Gita.