There is a sense of power that comes with having control. Most times we think we know what we like or dislike. We seek to love and to be loved; and that can come in all forms rather it is tangible or intangible. It can be a wide array of things from relationships, to happiness, job opportunities, exotic foods, travel, being healthy, the ability to have freedom to roam, sharing acts of kindness, mood adjusters such as drugs and alcohol. And when we know what we want most times we will go to any length to obtain it. It seems so simple to contain life, right? Not.
Expectations are a huge set up for disappointments. When we try to compartmentalize our life we try to direct how people, places, and things will flow. Visualize trying to squeeze caulk into a box and it oozes out on all sizes. We can never contain it and when we cannot we can lose control.
When we accept that the only thing that we can control is ourselves then we have a chance to gain power over our thoughts. That power comes from letting go of things we cannot manage and turning them over to a power that is greater than ourselves. As a result, we have the ability to bring about harmony in the midst of chaos. We can allow others to live their life as we live our life.
Let us not react hastily to those things we cannot control. Instead let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds and by doing so we can discern God’s will for us (Romans 8:2). Now that is power; God’s grace freely bestowed to us.