letting go

when you hear ‘no control’ do you get fearful? do you get anxious? or do you feel peace? i would probably say everyone reading this, including myself, would agree with feeling fearful or anxious. we desire control in our lives because we think the more we control the more structured, stabilized, and safe our lives will become.

for example, how many of you know people who are terrified to fly – that are death gripping the arm rests during takeoff – that would rather make a 14-hour drive than take a 2-hour flight? yet, it is statistically proven that flying is much safer than driving. the chances of being involved in a plane crash is 1 in 1.2 million and a car crash is 1 in 5,000. so, why is it that you feel so much safer driving? because you have control! i think we give ourselves too much credit on what we think we can control though. i don’t think many of us think about all the other people on the road that we have to trust – trusting they aren’t staring down at their phones and rear end you, trusting that they looked in their mirror before getting over, trusting they won’t run the red light. when flying all you have to do is trust one person, but you have no control, and that is the part we fear. no control.

but what if when you actually let go of your control, you see that your life has more structure, more stability, that life would feel more safe? how could that work? how does me controlling less lead to my life to becoming more structured? it’s because of who you are putting your trust in, who you are giving control, and who you are submitting your life to. and that person is Jesus.

i’m not saying to go around trusting everyone and letting anyone control your life, that would bring anyone fear and anxiety! to give someone control over anything, without feeling fearful or anxious about what may happen, you have to develop a relationship, there has to be a trust that is built up. but in today’s culture there are way too many trust issues, and respectfully so, people are not treated how they should be, friends change, and people come and go. so, you think the one person who won’t let you down is yourself! the person that you have the most trust in is yourself! but do you realize how far from the truth that really is? you probably let yourself down the most out of anyone you know. think about it, how many times do you tell yourself you’ll do something and don’t wind up doing it? how many times do you decide to believe the lies the enemy is whispering to you? the list of questions could go on and on. but the reality is that someone does know you better than yourself! He is a better friend than you could ever imagine being! He is the creator of the universe and He fearfully and wonderfully made you! He knows your thoughts before they even creep into your mind. He has ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29:11).

i think we have a hard time believing this verse since we live in a fallen world – a world that runs rampant with sin, a world that is a battlefield between good and evil. there will be suffering in this world, it tells us in the Bible ‘everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12), as this is a consequence of human’s sin against God back in the Garden of Eden. but this is not a punishment from God.

when you think God is punishing you, look at the cross.

and you will see the beauty of giving God control in your life. He gave His one and only Son for a relationship with you. God is longing to spend eternity with you, friend.

stop trying to do life your own way, stop running away from the one person who is constantly pursuing you.

give God control over your life and watch all your burdens be lifted, feel the overwhelming peace that the God of the universe leaves you with.

enjoy living a life of no control.

-n0tbychance