Why is this big "c" word such a touchy subject? Some people don't take enough control of their lives, while others can't seem to let an inch of it out. For most of my life I have been more towards the side of not being able to loose control of things. I've always hated the feeling of not being in control of myself or of the situation. Growing up I felt that I tended to rely only on myself. I have loving and caring parents, don't get me wrong I was blessed with them, but being a child of divorce I felt that a lot of things were on my shoulders. Going through high school and onto college I involved myself in organizations, teams, and activities. It wasn't until about 3 years into college that I finally learned that I can't just rely on myself to make things happen, and if I continued to do so, I was going to burn myself out at the age of 22. Instead I began to understand that you can present opportunities but that doesn't mean that others are going to take them. You all know that saying, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink", yeah that's what I had to learn. Now as many of you know, I am a proud christian. I always heard adults and "old" people saying "give it up to God". I loved that idea, but I had a hard time putting that into practice. Give it up to God? What good would that do? God isn't here to complete these tasks, or to make these chores disappear...at least that' what I used to think. My need for constant control started to affect my physical health, I was breaking out in hives, getting regular stomach aches, headaches, and I was completely exhausted by the end of every day. The regular stress of life was starting to get to me and I needed to figure out how to relinquish some of this control. Who was one person I knew I could rely on, who kept their word no matter what, and someone who loved me and wanted only the best for me? God. Simple. Clear. True. It was time for me to give it up to God. The power for prayer is amazing, if you have experienced what I'm talking about, you understand. If you haven't experienced the power of prayer, I would encourage you to try it. Some of you may "feel silly" talking to something that isn't there, but it's good to just talk things out sometimes, I challenge you to try praying for a week and see what it does for your life. God is good, and he wants what is best for you, I promise. Anyways, I started to practice the power of prayer, handing over things that were out of my control. The sense of relief that came with this transfer of control to God was amazing. I wish I would've learned this lesson sooner, but everything happens with time. Taking the pressure off of myself to control every aspect of my life made me a new person. I would like to fill you all in on a little secret, your plan may sound great to you, but God's plan will trump yours every time. Without a doubt. So embrace what God has in store for you and let the power of control go. Now this comes with a disclaimer, I am not saying give up, I'm saying take pride in your life and your choices, but when things get overwhelming or you need direction or guidance, God is your number one fan. Hand it over to him and trust that he see's great things for your life and future. I hope this helps some of you that may be going through tough times, or trying to figure out that "big c", yourself. I wish that everyone could experience the relief that I've felt and the change that has happened in my life because of this choice to trust in God. If you give it a try I promise you will not regret it! I hope you are living each day to it's fullest!
