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!
Very interesting thought, and one that I by and large agree with. More and more, I think it is the search for control that motivates a lot of people in recent days. Consider some of your points- that we can’t choose our appearance, that we can’t choose when we die, that we can’t control how people think about us.
In a real sense, the modern era is defined by answering these and similar questions. Cosmetics and dyes allow us to change our appearance. Some people advocate the idea of choosing when we die, for the very reason that it gives control back to the dying person. Some, especially online, do try to control how other people think about us- whether by argument or by bringing in social pressures, or any number of other things. The control thus sought for is illusion, yet a lot of people search for it anyway.
The only real objection/question I’d have is whether your central premise is right or not. Can humanity control these things? Depending on how you define ‘control,’ I’d argue that the answer is ‘yes.’ After all, humans are given the choice of the most important question of all- is it God’s will, or my will, to be done for all eternity? Of course, there are limits to that kind of ‘control’, as we both know! But I thought I’d just raise that point, since I think that humanity does have a great deal of control… the illusion lies in where that control comes from, and what the consequences are.