Control

Control is today's Five Minute Friday writing prompt from Kate over at Heading Home. What an interesting choice for today, and a word that has been tumbling through my mind recently.

Only 5 minutes...here we go!

Control

Such a little word with such big implications. We think we want to grow up and control our own lives. We think as soon as we become adults we can decide everything for ourselves. 

How foolish we are.

We strive and struggle, we grope, gripe, and connive to get the control over our lives that we spent our young adulthood looking forward to.

Then God does some maturing of us.

We find out that adulthood might not actually be everything we thought we were signing up for. We learn that being a adult does mean a measure of choice, like choosing NOT to ever eat brussel sprouts again, but that, in fact, we never really have control over our lives. 

The picture above is from a horse show at our State Fair. 

For the past few years, Jason Goodman has brought his team of horses, known as The Percheron Thunder to show off. His riding sills are fantastic! How can anyone even stand up on one moving horse's back, I'll never know, and yet, here he is controlling SIX huge Percheron's, and going around the arena in circles and figure eights, while the horses are RUNNING! This shows an amazing amount of control, and trust, between the driver and horses.

Which got me thinking

Back when I finally gave up the idea of needing to seek for that elusive control over my life, God showed me something amazing. 

He showed me a level of trust between Him as the holder of the reins (control) of my life, and me, as the one being directed. 

I realized that all of my years of trying to control my life had just been me fighting against His perfect plans for my life. I realized that the only real control I will ever have, is found in my choice to submit to God's plans. When I surrendered my grasp for control, He gave me a peace, a trust, and a direction that cannot be stopped or taken away by any plan of man.

Stop searching for control. Stop striving to try to make your family members into something they are not, just to fit your illusion of control. Surrender it all to Christ, and find freedom, as He gently, but skillfully, directs you in the way you should go!

Control - no thanks!

I'll choose surrender! :)