In Control

 

…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

 

I like to be in control.  All. The. Time.

Like all of us, I have learned, that I cannot control everything. I can control how short my hair is, how clean my house is, how I spend my money, and what I watch or read.

I cannot control my hairdresser’s schedule, the mess that is created in my house by others (mentioning no names), the economy, or what books are written or movies are made.

For me, the hardest part is having the serenity to  “accept what I cannot change” and finding the strength and courage to “change the things I can,” trusting God to show me the difference.

Trusting God with Anxious Thoughts

I have recently written about the anxiety that comes and goes in me right now over the spiritual and political state of our nation. I know that trusting God’s sovereignty is the only hope I have. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him. He does not promise that the road to that good will be easy or short. He does promise to go the distance with me.

Today, I was writing about older women teaching younger women to love their children. I was urging the older to teach the younger to pass on an understanding to their children about how to lean on God. “Young mothers can model and diligently teach their children to use scripture in times of fear and anxiety,” I was advising. I even gave scriptures to teach:

• When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3
• For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. Psalm 112:6-7
• Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” Psalm 35:27
• For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. Psalm 92:4

Great Advantage

I never learned these verses as a child. I can see the great advantage a child raised in a home where God’s Word is taught has over those who are not. When they are afraid, when they are anxious over the ways of the world, and when they lie awake at night, these truths are stored up in their hearts to bring them peace and understanding. The Holy Spirit promises to bring them to remembrance when we need them.

What I know is that no one will be able to control all of their circumstances in life. We, and future generations, have a lot to gain by understanding that, though we cannot always be in control, there is never a time when God is not.

When we are not “in control” of what happens, when we need guidance, do we teach, by example, that God’s and His Word have the answer?