Life becomes the problem when we seek to control our world. The need for control saps us of our vitality and enjoyment of life because we do not actually have the power to control anything other than ourselves. I will say that again: Our scope of control is severely limited. It encompasses myself. The Bible is clear on God's power, He is unlimited. We on the other hand are small, frail, short sighted and short lived, so we are given a equal sized domain to control; ourselves.
Now I may have responsibilities and roles that require me to work with others, manage projects and respond to elements that make it seem as if I control circumstances and other people, but that is an illusion. (Try making a toddler do anything or getting your over excited dog to stop barking).
This is the principle of limitations and freedom. We each influence our circumstances but we do not control them. Yet no matter what our circumstances are WE CAN CHOOSE how we will respond. That is the great power we possess, no matter what happens, I decide how I will handle myself (If I chose to use my power).
We fear life because it in unpredictable, unknowable and uncontrollable. We are often led to believe that we have a greater sphere of control than we actually have and as a result we can resent what we cannot control.
This life is full of plot twists and we can either believe this to be true or be shocked and dismayed when they come. Life teaches us truth if we are willing to learn, revelation is available for us if we are willing to listen. Life is always changing, never static, like a river; it’s remains there but the water and the life within, they are always changing, even the river’s course, over time, can shift many miles.
As long as I try to control what I can't and abdicate control over my responses, my life will be a mess. When I open my eyes to my real sphere of influence, I can begin to see myself as powerful yet limited. I am able to live great acts of small heroism in my life by choosing to love, forgive, be patient, be good, act with gentleness, find joy, and CONTROL MYSELF.
This is no small feat, we will avoid this at all costs as long as we can shift the blame onto others for our behavior. Behold Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, It was the snake, it was the woman, well, actually, it was your fault God! This last one is the one we are pretty much stuck on to this day. If God hadn't let this happen, if He had changed this circumstance, if He fixed this person...
Yet God's choices to act or not act, intervene or not intervene are inscrutable to me, I am often dumbfounded by the way He runs things. However, I know He is Great and Good, so I trust Him to handle His end of things and I am working on my end of the deal (or at least trying, which to be honest, self-control sometimes feels like trying to relocate a mountain using a spoon!) I can push back the fear rooted in all that I can't control because I believe God is in control. More on this next post.