Who Is Really In Control?

As seen in the  "The Heartbeat" and published in the Hot Springs Village Voice

How many times do we, as the old saying goes, stick our hands into situations where they are not needed? We see a situation in which we believe we can help by interjecting our opinion, giving advice, or basically said steering the person in a direction we believe to be best for them. Most of the time all of this is done in love and caring for the person who we think needs help.

Of course, there are some of us who are self-admitted "control freaks." When we don’t have control over something in our lives, we get frustrated or panic and try every way possible to seize control where we have none. I have to admit, I’m one of those individuals who have a hard time distinguishing between the controllable and the non-controllable in my life.

A good friend of mine once told me, "Don’t worry about things over which you have no control." Very good advice for anyone but especially a "control freak." But I had to respond, "Look who you’re talking to!" Even so, we need to learn when to hold on, tighten our grip, or to let loose of a situation.

A few years ago Carrie Underwood sang a song titled "Jesus Take the Wheel." It is about a young mother traveling on an icy highway heading home and suddenly looses control of her car. The chorus reads, "Jesus, take the wheel, take it from my hands, ‘Cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go so give me one more chance and save me from this road I’m on. Jesus, take the wheel." Very appropriate words for a person to utter while spinning out of control on an icy highway. But how much more appropriate for us to utter as we travel down life’s highway and suddenly lose control.

God knows what’s best for us. We can argue and even ignore the direction He is trying to show us. When we go our own way, inevitably we end up on our own "icy highway" spinning and unable to control the direction we are heading. That’s when in desperation we cry out to God for His help from the pit we’ve dug on our own.

God wants to grow us into the likeness of His Son. When God wants to take the wheel, we need to remove our hands and let Him drive!! Four hands on the wheel, especially when two of them are ours, doesn’t make for good steering.

Sometimes we think God has something for us to learn in every lesson in our life. Maybe the most important lesson He wants us to learn is letting go and trust – trusting Him to steer us along the path He wants us to take, where gently He will grow us by His loving hand. Let God have the wheel. It will be amazing where He will lead you!

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