Sun 1 Jun 2008
In our culture we tend to want to say that we are self taught, self directed people. We want to claim that we’re in control of our own destiny and determine the direction of our own sails.
As grandiose as it sounds…it is seldom true. I’m sure that there are those individuals out there who can honestly claim that there has been little to no influence exerted on their lives by anyone other than themselves. They listened to no one…heard no one…and learned from no one. Some of the roughest times in my own life have come when I thought that this was the correct way to live and I, too, resisted.
I remember reading Joshua’s speech to the Israelites when he said for them to “Choose this day whom you will serve….” and was struck by it. The logical, idealistic, independent American in me rebelled instantly. “Serve! We don’t have to serve anyone. We’re a free people who stand on their own.”
Let a few years pass…let some bad things happen to you. Let the props get kicked out from under you a couple times. The pink slip…the certified letter…the knock on the door…or the red lights in the rear view mirror and pretty soon you figure out that you’re not always in control. And, if we want to be truthful with ourselves, we’ll admit that we out of control more than we’re in it.
Control is something that should be exercised with care and caution. I believe that we might find that it is often better to allow the One who made us to have control over our lives. After all, He built us….he just might know what is the best course of action for us.
Now if we can just get control of that ego so that we can more easily turn ourselves over to Him….now that takes work.
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches
you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.”
Isaiah 48:17b
