I Don't Have Control Issues, Do I?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8)
I hate not having control. I remember when our fourteen-year-old daughter started driving. First, I cursed the State of Iowa for allowing fourteen-year-olds to get a driver's license. Then, I cursed her older friends, who would invariably drive her if she didn't drive. They were even less mature than she was at that time. Finally, I cursed myself that I was so anxious when she drove that I couldn't ride with her. My wife had to teach her to drive. To this day, I am uncomfortable unless I am behind the wheel.
Ephesians 2:8 is one of the most profound passages in the New Testament after the people of faith were required to follow the law for centuries to appease a God who seemingly controlled their salvation. How shocking to have this radical paradigm shift. I would argue that we continue to struggle with this shift almost two thousand years later.
At least with the Old Testament laws, we keep control. If I follow the 613 Levitical codes, then I am pleasing to God. Now, with the New Testament, I am forced to lose all control and let God decide on my salvation. I've been a pleaser all my life. God is telling me that my innate ability to please is no longer beneficial. How frustrating it is to no longer be able to control or manipulate my future.
Today, if you are a control freak like me, you should spend a little extra time in prayer. If control issues are not a problem, you get a break. Say a short prayer and go about your day. Now, for the rest of you who have difficulty letting go of control, it is time to get to work.
Think about some way you can hand over control today. I plan to have dinner with my wife and let her drive sometime in the next few days. Then, focus on each moment of your discomfort. Silently talk to God about those feelings. Evaluate which feelings are legitimate and which are illogical. If Jill rear-ends a Mack Truck, then it is legit. If we get to dinner alive, I must admit my irrational feelings. Then, sometime later, review your control issues, seek to find the illogical ones, and seek positive change. Trusting God with your salvation is a good start. Don't feel alone; I will be working on control issues as well.
This devotion was originally published in September of 2017