Keep a healthy perspective on your "control"

Trying to maintain control over everything in and around your life can make you crazy and drive you to "use" just to control your anxiety about your lack of control, and then everything spins out of control. Self control is an admirable trait, total control is impossible, even God doesn't have total control - after all, He gave humans free will, which means we control our own decisions; we decide whether we attempt to control, or whether we accept God's control.


2 Timothy 1:7 says, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."


Don't let a fear of the unknown drive you to be one who attempts to control, but, instead, let the Spirit of God lead you to be one who in under the control of God. "Not my will, but God's will." Let that be the extent of your attempt to control.


Daily Meditation for Sunday 17th of August 2014
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6


We can hang on to our attempts to control ourselves and others and stay anxious. Or we can let go and let God.


We are anxious because we think we have to take care of everything and everybody. We are anxious because we believe we cannot be happy unless we can control the people we love. We are anxious because life's problems are more than we can handle, but we try to handle them on our own anyway.


God invites us to give up our anxious way of life. We do not have to take care of everything and everybody. We can, instead, let God take care of us. We can bring our anxious hearts and our long lists of concerns to God.


Responding to this invitation requires a great deal of us. It requires that we acknowledge that we cannot do what we have been trying to do. We are powerless. It requires that we turn to God. It requires that we release our control, our anxiety, our very lives into God's care.


God invites us to serenity. "Give up your anxiety," God says "bring the concerns of your heart to me."


I am anxious, Lord.
And I feel guilty about feeling anxious.
And I feel anxious about feeling guilty.
And I feel anxious about feeling guilty about feeling anxious.
Help!
I am overwhelmed by all I am trying to do.
I need your invitation to serenity.
I bring you my requests today, Lord.
I bring them to you.
I admit that I do not have the power to solve these problems.
I acknowledge that you are Powerful.
I ask you to take care of me today.
Amen.


Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan








Dale Ryan is an Associate Professor of Recovery Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. Juanita Ryan is a therapist in private practice. You can read Juanita's blog at Graceful Growth