Control

Three events converged in my experience and exploded in an “Aha” moment, as God basically said, “Did you get that?”  – the bulbs sprouted, my son played basketball, a song played.

Event #1 – I went for a run around my normal neighborhood route and noticed all of the crocus, daffodils, and tulips that are beginning to poke up despite the fluctuating temperatures and predictions of coming snow.  It’s a process of nature as automatic as the constant sequence of waves on the beach or the rising and setting of the sun.

Event #2 – My 9-year-old son was progressing through his basketball season at the local YMCA and, to the chagrin of both of his basketball playing parents, was getting worse.  Instead of a nice and easy arched shot at the hoop, he began to chuck the ball with both hands like a chest pass.  We attempted numerous times to offer him some tips or practice sessions, but he was determined that he would do it HIS way.  It didn’t matter that we had years of experience and knowledge or that his way was obviously NOT working. He was not interested in feedback or coaching.

Event #3 – I was listening to my playlist and heard one of my current favorite worship songs.  A phrase, common in a lot of Christian music, stopped me in my tracks.  It was like one of those moments in a movie where the character flashes back through the sequence of clues that piece together in that moment to an epiphany.  The phrase was “I give you control”.

What an absurd thought!  WE are GIVING God control?!  The God of ALL power - the CREATOR of the universe? He created pretty much everything in the world to operate automatically by instinct or season.  In the fall, the geese just know when to fly south; the leaves automatically begin to turn colors and fall.  Now with the approaching of spring, the daffodils and crocus poke back up above the dirt unbidden, the daphne begins to open its purple, fragrant buds, the rose bushes and honeysuckle vines show signs of new growth although they have been neglected for months. Nature in His hand is perfect balance and beauty.   

It occurred to me that almost everything in nature operates in this automatic manner…all except us. While I have long recognized the gift of free will, I have never considered that humans operate with the power of choice in a manner NO other part of creation exercises.  The All Powerful God has designed it so we give Him back the control of our lives that He originally gave to us.  But like my son, we often willfully resist His offer for instruction and guidance, to our own detriment.  We are convinced we can do this on our own, despite the evidence that it’s not working.  Only when I surrender to His wisdom and knowledge and perfect love does my life return, like all nature, to perfect balance and beauty.