DAY 37: Full Control

Have you ever been in a situation where you were anticipating a difficult conversation with someone; but before the conversation ever happened, you had already orchestrated it all? It's like you held the remote control of your life up--fast forwarding, pausing, skipping through various parts until you had decided what they were going to say, how they were going to say it, what your response was going to be and what would result from the conversation. As a result of the conversation you had in your mind on behalf of all parties, you either a) decided that it made it unnecessary to have the real conversation or b) went into the real conversation with assumptions and walls that were virtually insurmountable. In your effort to feel in control, you actually walked away feeling tired and extremely misunderstood?

That controlling spirit often takes us to a lonely and exhausted place that is simply no fun. I know that you've spent many an hour thinking and rethinking and OVERthinking the options of your life and found yourself feeling more and more isolated. It's easy to do. It's easy to get lost in the web of your own thoughts, and it's easy to keep people out with that very same web. It's hard to trust because it opens us up to the uncertainty of heartache. But you have to remember that when you open up, you are not just trusting other people with your heart, but you are demonstrating a trust in God that he will be your refuge (Psalm 91:2) and that he will protect you when you feel at a loss to protect yourself.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:5 that we are to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and lean not to our understanding'. I appreciate how it says "all" and not "some" or "part". We are to trust the Lord even with the part of our hearts that wants to feel known and understood in an authentic way. We are to trust the Lord with the part of our hearts that wants to feel connected. We are to trust the Lord with the part of our hearts that yearns to be in control. And when we trust him with all, when we release control, we allow God to create greater connections for us than we could have ever designed on our own. When we turn every thought and every heart's desire over to God, he said we could trust him to direct our paths. You may want to figure it out and know the next step, but God is challenging you today to let him take full control. Trust him...he's faithful to deliver "exceedingly, abundantly, above what you can ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).

Be encouraged,
Pastor Andrea