I am not a a control freak in the classic since but I know I have issues. Don’t we all? I like to be the one to drive, I like to have my say in the restaurant I go to and when it comes to speed limit signs I follow the ‘spirit’ of the law!
However, as I get closer to finishing my internship here at Concord the Lord has been really reminding me of somethings lately through His Word and a some very godly friends. Do you want to know what it is? If you have not read the title then you are the only one who does not know, control is merely an illusion. Seriously, have you sat back and tried to understand how little control we actually have in the world.
- We don’t control the day we are born!
- We don’t control who our parents were!
- We don’t control where we are born!
- We don’t control the color of our skin, eyes and hair.
- We don’t control when and where we step into eternity.
- We don’t control other drivers on the road (man I wish I could).
- We don’t control what other people think about us.
- We don’t control our children’s future. (I can try to direct it, but I can’t control it!)
- We don’t control the weather.
- We don’t control how fast (or slow) the person in front of me is driving.
- We don’t control whether or not someone we know and loves prays to receive Christ.
- We don’t control the fact that our bodies are breaking down (I heal/repair MUCH slower now than I did at 20!)
- We don’t control God by my religious performance.
In fact, if I can control anything then the very thing I can control is so small and insignificant that it would hardly register on the eternal scale in regards to things that actually matter. However, I do not want to write this to discourage you actually quite the opposite. I wrote this because it is literally one of the most encouraging revelations I have ever received in my life. Freedom, TRUE freedom, is understanding how out of control we are and then placing our faith in a God who has NEVER ceased to maintain control over what He has created. God has the amazing ability to use all things for His glory and our good.
So if you feels like you are out of control, it’s because probably are. The more we try to control the more likely we are to live in complete rebellion to the One who is in control, who has all things in His hands and who constantly calls us to surrender to Him so that we can experience the joy of living under His sovereignty rather than having to constantly discover that we have none of our own. If there is an area of your life that is completely out of control, if your whole life is completely out of control, it is most likely the Lord trying to get your attention and get you to surrender.
Control is nothing more than an illusion, we have none, He has it all and in His hand is THE BEST place to be!