I’m Not in Control

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.” Deuteronomy 28:1 (NIV)

We’ve been talking for the past few weeks about the life group I’m co-teaching at my church, Caring for the Caregiver. There are so many lessons one can learn from taking care of someone who is ill or unable to take care of themselves. And most of these lessons can be applied in all situations, not just the caregiving field.

One lesson that I want to talk about today is the truth: “I’m not in control.” That statement is so true when providing care for another. While I may be able to control when I offer food, rest, medication and/or bathroom privileges, I cannot force someone to eat, drink, sleep, use the bathroom or take one’s medication. While I know it’s important to do those things on a regular basis to stay healthy (or get healthy), I still am not in control of whether or not the other person actually agrees and follows through.

The same can be said in any situation in life. Whether dealing with friends, family or just strangers on the street. God reminded me of that just yesterday. I was pulling into a gas station and trying to get out of the way because I was blocking the entrance as well as others from leaving the gas pumps. An irate customer who had been waiting longer than me thought I was “cutting in line” and proceeded to let me have it through the open windows. I tried to explain I wasn’t taking her pump, just needed to get past her in order to keep the flow moving. In this particular instance, I tried to calmly move out of the way in order to keep from hindering the flow of cars, but I couldn’t control the other driver’s reaction when she thought I was “cutting in line.”

So, you may ask, what can we do when the control is out of our hands? Well, the answer is Biblical. As with the situation above, I chose to remain calm. I chose integrity. Instead of trading angry words with her or otherwise misrepresent Christ, I chose to treat the woman with respect and let her know through my actions she misinterpreted my intent.

The most important thing we can do, though, is pray always – before, during and after every situation we may find ourselves. Ultimately, when we invite Jesus into every situation through prayer before we make any decisions, He takes control. Not only am I not in charge of anyone else’s choices, but when I put God in charge, I don’t have to try and be in control at all. And that choice, my friends, brings me ultimate peace.

#I’mnotincontrol                               #Prayfirst                   #SpokenfromtheHeart

© Cheri Swalwell 2018