Is Your Control Under Control?

We probably all have a friend or family member that we would call a “control freak.” That one person who must have things his or her own way, who’d rather do something themselves because asking someone else to do it, knowing they’ll do it wrong, is too much to bear. It’s funny how God designed us to have free will, yet He wants us to follow His ways.

When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray The Lord’s Prayer, He said “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I imagine, for a control freak, that would be a hard concept to grasp. Letting someone else take over, letting someone else make decisions that could affect our lives? But not just anyone…our Creator. Why would we be afraid to let God have full reign in our lives? We read in the bible that His ways are perfect and His plan is to prosper us and not to harm us. Why would we risk taking control of our lives, messing it up and then having to call on God to rescue us, when we could just invite Him to take control from the very get go?

Jesus understood the will of the Father when He was in the garden agonizing over His imminent fate. He asked for His burden to be removed, then followed His personal request with “but Thy will be done.” Being fully man and fully God, He displayed the human desire to be rid of the situation at hand, yet He understood the bigger plan. Even the unrepentant thief on the cross must have been a control freak in the sense that he told Jesus to save Himself and come down off the cross. Jesus could have…we know He was capable of performing miracles, but He knew His Father’s plans were best for humanity. If you struggle with control issues and fear the unknown of God’s will in your life, maybe now is a good time to let God take the wheel as you take a back seat and learn to enjoy the journey.