“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Letting Go of Control
Have you ever struggled with control in your life? Do you ever feel like things aren’t going according to plan or that life is heading in a direction you never imagined for yourself? I have definitely been there. Many times. So often, things work out differently than I picture them or want them to be.
How do you respond in those seasons when you have no control over the next step? When you are waiting for that job application to be processed, or while you are still looking for an apartment to open up, how do you handle it? For me, in the past (ok, recent past), I was anxious and busy trying to manage details, control the situation, and get it to work out the way I wanted.
When we try to control situations, we limit what God can do in our lives. When we yield to the Lord and let Him do new things, we open up a lot more possibilities for our lives. We open the door to much better things than we could plan for ourselves. One of the biggest lessons I learned from my busy lifestyle in TV production (my previous life in LA) is how to just stop striving for things and rest in the Lord and let Him guide. Don’t try to figure everything out. Know that God is guiding and helping us even when we can’t see it.
Listening to God
I used to strive to get ahead. I would work hard to meet my goals and then I would set even bigger goals that I would worker even harder to accomplish. While there is definitely nothing wrong with setting goals (I do it weekly and yearly), the way I was striving to get ahead on my own was causing burnout and frustration.
It took me awhile to learn how to rest. It took me time to learn that my worth didn’t come from outward accomplishments and “success.” The more I got quiet in prayer and leaned into the goodness of the Lord, the more I realized the things I was striving for really didn’t even matter. Job titles, having my name on TV show credits or having people know my name. It was all pointless. I would never be worth more or less to God if my name was on a TV screen.
When I started spending more time in prayer and being honest with Him and myself about how I was feeling, and as I started letting God search my heart and show me areas where I was being misled, things began to change. I no longer wanted things I had been striving for, and for the first time in awhile I actually felt free to pursue other things, different career paths and opportunities.
Not that it’s wrong to pursue a specific career path, but the Lord will show you in your heart your motivations, your fears, and your desires. He will show you what’s behind the striving, whether it’s a spirit of obligation or a fear of not measuring up.
When I began to see that I was motivated more out of the fear of not measuring up, that’s when I began to see that the Lord wanted me to live another way. He didn’t want me striving to live up to other people’s expectations or what the world says is success. He wanted me to just start every day knowing that I am already fully known and fully loved by Him. Also that I was free to pursue whatever career path I wanted as long as I was doing it out of a place of love.
When I stopped trying to control everything, I found that God actually wanted good things for me. Better things than I was trying to do on my own. His plans came without turmoil or distress but rather in quiet surrender. Yielding to His way of living led to peace and also acceptance of who He made me and the way He leads me. I started living less in fear and obligation, and more in freedom and love.
Takeaway Action/Challenge: What are some areas in your life you’ve been trying to control? Has the Lord been speaking to your heart or leading you in a different way? Are you afraid of losing that thing you’re clinging to so tightly? How can you yield that thing to the Lord and trust that He is working out good plans in your life as you trust Him?
