“If you do not believe that control is a major issue in your life, study the ways you respond when someone or something disrupts your plan for the day.” – M. Robert Mulholland
We are creatures who crave control. We’re brought up believing that the more education we receive, the more experience we gain, the more success we achieve will lead to greater and greater degrees of control. But, when circumstances change abruptly and we realize that most of what we think of as control is a illusion, we feel like our world is falling apart.
With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, I am mindful that a lot of my energy as a dad has been used attempting to maintain control so my children would grow up in a safe, encouraging, and empowering environment. It didn’t always work. I couldn't control their friends, their teachers, or their choices. I could influence many things in their lives, but I could not and can not control. I care deeply about each one of them, but control is not within my power.
The good news is that God is in control and he cares about us. The Bible teaches us: “The life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of all humanity” (Job 12:10 NLT). God is good and his love for us is never-failing. So I can place my life and the lives of those dear to me in his loving hands. I can’t always be in control. But God, who is far wiser and more loving than me is in control. That makes my plans much less important.
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