Are You in Control?
Being that I love to write, I keep a journal with all sorts of thoughts and revelations the Lord brings to mind. They are thoughts that He allows me to meditate upon, and they also serve as writing prompts.
Some of the topics are deep, and some are a bit silly. Some topics have to do with nutrition and healthy living, and others are still a bit of a mystery to me. However, I have them written down, and as He clarifies their meanings, I love to share that fresh revelation.
The start of each new year is an exciting time. We feel thankful for the year that has just past, while concurrently shrugging off all of the less than stellar happenings the previous year brought into our lives. Then, we look forward to the next 365 days of opportunity.
Opportunity according to Merriam-Webster
: an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done.
: a favorable juncture of circumstances
: a good chance for advancement or progress
Is a year an amount of time in which something can be done? Why, of course!
Do you think there will be a favorable juncture of circumstances that will present itself to you in the next year? I imagine that is a reasonable expectation.
This year, do you believe there will be a good chance for advancement or progress? Well sure!
The question is, how do you allow those favorable circumstances to give you the best chance at getting something done?
The Father has gifted you with two different things that open doors of opportunity and allow you to seize those opportunities.
As we begin to wade into this new year, I wanted to talk about a truth I felt the Lord revealed to me concerning control.
You see, with a year of opportunity ahead of us, we can begin to want to control each aspect of those 365 days. When we consider the topic, it’s easy to ascertain that we don’t have much control over our lives. However, in the proper fashion of a mysterious God, we simultaneously have control over everything.
So, I can’t control anything while I have been given the ability to control everything? And even when I have nothing, I have something I can give away?
Correct!
Clear as mud. Right?
We can’t control the rising of the sun. We can’t control what those around us choose to do or not to do. We can’t control the weather. (Insert that thing that you can’t control here.)
For some people, their focus rests on everything they can’t control. When that happens, a spiral into hopelessness begins, and it can be a pit that becomes all-consuming. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
God has gifted us the most amazing of all gifts, and it’s those gifts that allow us to have control over every aspect of our lives. When our circumstances strip us of everything, we are still rich with His blessings. When we literally have nothing, He has gifted us with something we can still give away.
God has graciously given you and me complete control over our will and worship. We get to choose how they are used and to whom they are directed.
We may not be able to dictate the weather, but we can choose to wear a rain jacket. We can choose to stay home. We can choose to take that walk or go for a bike ride.
We may not be able to control how our boss treats us, but we can choose to find other employment. We can choose to be kind to a disagreeable colleague.
We had no control over the lifestyle habits our parents raised us under, but we can choose to make different choices as adults.
We have the choice to walk the narrow path.
Our will can be the key to our liberation, or it can be used as the key to lock us into bondage. It’s up to you and me to make that choice.
Likewise, we have been given the gift of worship.
Imagine yourself homeless, naked, and alone in a desert land. Even without any material object, you can raise your hands and give away your worship. Maybe you don’t have hands. Then, raise your voice, raise your eyes, give your praise to our Father. Even if you can’t move, let your heart burst forth in worship.
With the recent passing of the Christmas season, I am sure you heard and/or said more than once, “it is better to give than to receive.”
The Maker of Heaven and Earth knows this truth, and that’s no doubt why He has ensured that you always have something you can give away. When you give your worship to Him, it will always be better than receiving.
I want to encourage you not to worry about controlling each aspect of this coming year. Instead, use your will to make the daily choices that allow His will to become apparent through your life.
Remember: Opportunity lives inside of His will, but control strangles opportunity.
Be ready, and be focused. Let this year be your most generous year yet. Even in those moments when you think you have nothing, I’m asking you to choose to give everything you have away. The eternal consequences will bless you, and what you receive as you give Him everything can never be matched.
He has given us everything. Let’s return our will and worship to the one from which it comes.
Here’s to a year of willingly worshiping Him. A year of no control bursting full of His opportunities. A year of perplexing simplicity. It’s going to be so exciting!
