One thing that we all have in common is control. It’s what we all try to obtain as humans. It’s where entitlement roots from. We are programmed by today’s culture to think that we can do whatever we want. That we are “entitled” to it. I’m not saying that God doesn’t want us to do what we enjoy, but I’m saying that we think we know what’s best for our lives a lot of the times. We don’t, because His plan is perfect and way better than ours could ever be.
Expectations are a big thing that contributes to control, especially when it comes to your future. A lot of times when we think about expectations, we think about circumstances, but a big problem for me is that I put expectations on people, whether it’s to act a certain way or do certain things that I think they should be doing.
Ways I have seen myself try to take control in life:
– Relationships. If you try to take control of a relationship and make it go the way you want it to, then it is going to be a shipwreck and it’s just going to blow up in your face. I have learned this through talking with my squad leaders. God should be priority in our relationships, and ultimately it’s in His hands, not ours.
– Leading worship at debrief. I was really upset after I lead worship for the first time at our midpoint debrief in Costa Rica, because I wanted it to go one way and it didn’t. First of all, my heart was not in the right place, and second, I didn’t leave room for the Holy Spirit and what He wanted to do in that moment. We planned out every verse and chorus, but when it went a different direction, I felt mad almost because it was no longer going how I planned.
– Taking control in trying to please others. I was listening to a song back in Costa Rica one day called “The Game” by Ty Brasel. One of the lines say “If I leave the game will they love me the same?” I started thinking about how if I stop trying to please people, will they still love me? Do people just love me because I do stuff for them? I have had to learn when to say no to people and only give out of my overflow. And really it doesn’t matter if people love me, because my Father in heaven loves me and you more than we could ever know.
– My Future. I have been searching for what I should do next year, and I’m not getting an answer from God/ He’s telling me to wait and I’m impatient, so I keep trying to make my own plan. I have to stop and realize that He has a plan and that it is better, so I wait.
At midpoint debrief was when I began to realize I need to change my outlook on life and surrender it to God. I was talking with Taylor, our SQA (admin person), about control and about how I am a very practical person. It is hard for me to mentally let go of things for example, because like yeah you say you give God control in your life, but I can’t really see a shift or difference. I explained how a lot of the time I feel like my life is like a balloon. I hold on to it and then open my hand just enough for it to float up a little bit and then grab it again before it gets away from me. She encouraged me to think of practical ways that I could actually let go of something. Whether it be throwing a rock with something written on it, writing something on a balloon and then letting it go or popping it, or writing it on a piece of paper and burning it. On the Race we have these things called activations. It’s where we are taught something and then actually get the opportunity to go out and practice that principal. So right now, I want you to do this. Find a piece of paper, write a list of thing on it that you need to let go of control of in your life, for example: a relationship, your future, your family, etc. Then after you do that, pray about it and give it to God. Our lives should be us just holding our hands open to God. At any moment He can give us something or take it away, but trust in Him and know that His plan is better.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
??Isaiah? ?55:9? ?NIV??
Yours in Christ,
Landon Mullins
