You Have More Control Than You Think

Control is not an easy topic for me. 

It falls into place with things like burned cookies, too tight jeans, and deep things like worry and insecurity. Control is hard for me because it’s something I struggle with. Something I see in myself but I don’t like about myself. 

On the outside control seems like a good idea. It looks pretty and put together. But on the inside control is like a tornado. That’s a lot for a mind (and a soul) to take. 

The good news? My friend, Jennifer Dukes Lee, has help. And she wrote it all down in her latest book. I’m honored to have her share with you today. Welcome her words, and be blessed!

I want to let you in on a secret about writing Christian books. There’s a 100 percent guarantee that Jesus will get up in your face about the very topic you’re addressing. I wrote my first book about approval, so of course I struggled with wanting approval. I wrote my second book on happiness and then walked through an Eeyore-ish season in my life.

Well, I’m no dummy. That’s why I told Jesus I wanted to write a book on the topic of beaches. This was the ultimate spiritual throwdown. I was pretty sure I had brilliantly set myself up for a challenge from God: “Go forth, therefore, and determine the quality of beach sand in Maui and compare it to the beach sand in Tahiti.” Clearly, I am willing to suffer for Jesus.

But then I forgot about my beach-book idea. Instead, I wrote book on releasing control—because I needed that book. I had to release control a lot that year:

– when our oldest daughter started driving

– when our youngest daughter suffered with chronic illness

– when my mother was hospitalized for three months with a life-threatening infection, and my amputee father lived with us.

All of that happened while I was writing It’s All Under Control. During those trying months, I repeatedly found myself with my head in my hands, praying this prayer: Jesus take the wheel.

Yep, I needed the message of the book. Turns out, you needed it too.

Does it ever feel like the chaos in your life might break you? Have you ever cried so hard over your circumstances that you thought you might run yourself out of tears?

So much of life can feel out of control, and if you’re like me you end up feeling powerless. Looking back, sometimes you can see where things got off track. Other times, the trouble comes out of the blue. You did all the right things, yet the worst news came your way.

There’s so much in life that we can’t control:

Circumstances.

Weather.

Airport delays.

The tumor growing in unseen places.

The economy.

The political climate.

What people think about us.

How our kids will “turn out.”

But can I tell you a secret? We have more control than we think.

We are not powerless. Great freedom comes when we let go of what we can’t control, and rise up to take charge of what we can.

That’s why I’ve put together this list for you, “Things You Can Control.” Click here to download the print. Then frame it, tape it to your refrigerator, set it by your computer, or slip it in your journal.

Because of God at work in you, you have more power than you dared imagine.

Of course, there are so many things that we can’t control. God can handle those for you.

Click here to download and print this list, “What God Can Handle,”  as a reminder that no matter what we can’t handle, God still can.

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Adapted from It’s All under Control: A Journey of Letting Go, Hanging On, and Finding a Peace You Almost Forgot Was Possible by Jennifer Dukes Lee, from Tyndale House Publishers.

Jennifer Dukes Lee is the wife of an Iowa farmer, mom to two girls, and an author. She loves queso and singing too loudly to songs with great harmony. Once upon a time, she didn’t believe in Jesus. Now, He’s her CEO. Jennifer’s newest book, It’s All Under Control, and a companion Bible study. This is a book for every woman who is hanging on tight and trying to get each day right―yet finding that life often feels out of control and chaotic.

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