Spirituality

Control Freaks

Have you ever known or worked with a control freak? Perhaps you are one. Just kidding. The people who try to control everything are the most uptight people to be around.

All of the future is an unknown. We don’t know what will happen in the next few minutes, the rest of today, or the rest of this year. We make plans yet we have to adapt when things don’t go as expected.

In Proverbs 3:5-6 it says, “Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” This means we should trust God even when we don’t understand what is going on. We can’t see everything but God can. He is already in our future.

When we are going through difficult periods, it’s hard to see past the end of our nose. Our faith is tested. That’s okay. God knows and understands, and He doesn’t change His feelings towards us when we doubt. Jesus reminded us that the faith of a mustard seed is enough to move mountains.

Stay focused and stay true to the One who is in control. He will never steer us wrong. And that is a promise…

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Spirituality

Things Work Out

Are you a worrier? Are you living by the “what if” principle rather than focusing on what can be? The battle is won or lost in your mind.

No one was born with fear and worry as parts of their personality. They are learned behaviors. But there’s good news! Anything learned can be unlearned. You have to want change in your life. Anything is possible if you believe.

The genesis of fear and worry is control. Perhaps bad past experiences make us want to take control so it doesn’t happen again. It’s futile to think this way. We don’t know what will happen in the next five minutes so why do we think we can control our outcomes? Instead, change your thinking and you will change your life.

Everyone has some dissatisfaction about their life. You may not feel good about where you are or how your life has turned out. This can be temporary or permanent. It’s up to you.

If you really want control, I encourage you to cede control to a Higher Power. He’s not a mad scientist or puppeteer. God is on our side. He didn’t create us and then forget about us.

If you decide to change your thoughts about controlling outcomes, meditate on this Proverb: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but The Lord establishes their steps.”

And when you think back on past experiences, you will see that everything always seems to work out the way it’s supposed to…

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Spirituality

Who’s Piloting the Plane?

We make plans for our lives. We set goals for our careers. Young married couples talk about their future together. These are all good things. But what do we do when our best plans go awry?

Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” This is a solid reminder of who is in control. We have no idea how many car accidents or horrible situations God has protected us from behind the scenes. But we do know this: God has a plan and purpose for us being here. We can try to live it out or we can ignore it. That part God leaves in our hands.

One of the beautiful things about life is that everything in our future is unknown. Being an eternally optimistic man, I believe it’s something good. Even if whatever lies around the next corner turns out to be a dumpster fire, good can come from it.

When life throws you curveballs, swing at them. Remember who is in control, even when we think it’s us. You will get through whatever you are going through. Just keep going…

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Positive Thinking

Millions of books have been written about positive thinking. Millions more will be written. And we know too well that popular saying, “Let go. Let God.” That sounds great until you have to actually do it.

Ceding our desire to control is scary. We want our lives to have happy endings, so we try to control outcomes. Controlling things we have no control over doesn’t work.

Our Creator gives us control over one thing: our attitude. Keep yours focused on whatever is good, right and noble. That’s better than any self-help book…

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Fear of Missing Out…

People will make emotional decisions when they feel like they might miss out on something. I encourage you to use wisdom and discernment when faced with big decisions. Pray about them, and listen for the voice of our Creator to guide you…

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Speaking of Kindness…

The tongue is a laser sharp instrument. It can heal or it can hurt. Your choice, but I encourage you to return kind words to others, not stinging rebukes. Both of you will benefit…

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Guarded…

On social media, we see pictures and posts of perfect lives. This is great! We should celebrate happy moments. Yet, think of how much compassion we would see from others if we sometimes showed how hellish life can be. Something worth considering…

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Kindness Matters…

Every person you encounter has something troubling them. You probably will not see it on the surface level, but that doesn’t make it less real. Slow down and show kindness to everyone, even the people who don’t deserve it. They need kindness shown to them the most, and you will benefit as well…

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Angry People…

Sometimes we encounter people who seem to be angry about everything. Try to be patient with them. Their hurt comes from deep within, and it manifests in an unhealthy way. Pray for them…

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