Faith Over Fear: Relinquishing Control

Beauty+Fashion

Jul 18

Written By

Ali

Writer, Believer, & A Leader

Life was never supposed to be easy. However, we weren’t supposed to walk life by ourselves either. I am not in control of the universe. I find solace in that realization, but I found struggle in getting to that understanding.

Have you ever thought about how you want your future to be like? White picket fence, 2 ½ kids, I could go on. But, as I dive deeper, I realize that this is the plan I concocted for myself is in my head. It is the plan that I, my little self, believe to be best. Is it? What happens when we discover that our plan for ourselves isn’t the best plan out there? Even more so, what happens when we realize that we aren’t the one in control of the universe. Our minds are filled with doubts, trials, and tribulations. No one can go to sleep at night saying they know perfectly where their life is going or they are sure of what the future brings. Your life is going one way, and then smack! It changes. The truth of life is that there are injuries, bankruptcies, deaths, and struggles. There are two guarantees in our lives (besides death and taxes) -- one meant to break us, one meant to build us.

The first guarantee in our lives is that our perfect plan will not go the way we wish it to go. If we grasp control, the world is going to ensure that our hold will be broken.

The second guarantee in our lives is that there is a God out there who loves us, who is in control, and He sent His son Jesus to die for us. It is written in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Prosper. Hope. Future. Can you imagine that the Lord of all the Earth has plans for YOU to live a great life? There will be trials, but when you have faith that God’s plan is the greatest of all, there is nothing that will stop it. There is a part of the human soul that clings to our own plan: Fear -- Fear that we must live up to what society is telling us, instead of what faith is telling us. Isn’t fear of failure, the need to control our own destiny, what haunts us the most -- what causes us the most stress in life?

Why surrender? We surrender to God to rely on Him to work things out instead of trying to solve them ourselves -- whether that be manipulating others, forcing our own agendas, or controlling every situation. Instead of trying harder, we trust more. Surrendering means admitting you can’t walk this life on your own, and you need God to guide you. You aren’t always in control, God is working through you. Surrender can only come when you have faith that God’s plan is better for you than your own.

If you’re like me and you crave control and leadership, the remedy for change is being honest with God. To me, my prayer goes something like this: “God I admit that I like being in control. I feel like I know where my path is going, but that path isn’t the path that is best for me, nor is that path I should be on. Help me give today, and every day to you. Help me remember that You hold it all, and that Your plans for me are better than any plans I could imagine.”

Imagine yourself laying down your own plans at the feet of God. All I can think of is the life He rolls out before you, saying “Go forth, for I am in charge, and this life you lead will be good.”