Taking Back Control

I have been reading a few things and seeing things on the internet about how to gain control over your life. What a great idea! So often people feel so helpless and lost. Who wouldn't like some kind of control over their dreams and aspirations. Then I read on and there are so many ways to do it, making lists, writing in journals, working out, finding hobbies. They are all great ideas. One that I kinda like is write down the bad things at night, and then throw them out. Or on the same vein, write down what makes you happy each morning.

As helpful as they all are and they are all very helpful, I believe they are missing the big picture. They are all incomplete. I have found, though I am struggling with it everyday, if you really want to gain control over your life, you need to lose it first. I know this goes against all of human thinking. I'm not really talking about dying, but giving it up. Give it up to who? Well Jesus naturally.

Jesus said to daily take up your cross and follow him. To me this means that every day I am to lay my life down so that I can follow him. I give up my control of my life and let him lead me. I let the Spirit guide me where I can be the most useful.

Found on this blog.

The thing about control, is that if you work so hard to keep control of everything, you often miss the little things because you are not looking in the right direction. When we fight for control, we stay focused. We miss our children growing up, we miss our families as they also fight for control for themselves. I am not saying you shouldn't try to control yourself, you should have discipline and self control, but if you lead your life in the ways you want to go, you will undoubtedly end up miserable and alone.

I feel I should talk more about self control and discipline. Those are two very important things to have. You should have control over yourself. If you can't control your own emotions and doings, how can God control your life? Discipline is important to have, without discipline we cannot grow into the people God wants us to be. But self control and discipline are not the same as having control over your life. God will lead us, because he is in control of it, we need to keep ourselves focused on God.

"As males, we always want to prove that we are impressive, that we do not need help to handle anything that life throws at us. But in our desire to be respected and present a strong image, our weaknesses actually gain power. The truth is, many of us are isolated and alone, lost in a desert of secret vices and unresolved pain because we have chosen to go it alone."  Andrew Schawb

I felt this quote is a good example of how trying to keep control of our lives really leads to us having less control. Control of our lives is characterized by respect from others, being strong, being the best. But when we have all the control, we tend to be lost and wandering, missing so much of something we can't seem to figure out.

We can see how so many wealthy people are always missing something and so they buy new things, bigger things, faster things to make up for the lack of the one thing. Jesus is completion. I kinda find it funny how one man, one God can be all you could ever want or need. Jesus has no desire to be part of your life. He doesn't want to be your go to guy, your friend, the guy you show off to your friends. He doesn't want a hour each week, or even each day, He wants every hour of every day of every week. He wants all of you, all the time. He wants to be your everything so you can have everything.

If Jesus is everything, and he has total control over your life, then he can bless you with riches that would make Bill Gates feel like a pauper. That is what it is to be a son of God. We are heirs to everything, and everything can be ours if we give up control of our lives, give the reins over to Jesus, and work to bring God glory in all the world.