“Control”

You can’t always control things,

And that’s the blessed truth,

But you might not feel the blessing,

If you’re searching like a sleuth,

For a way to understand it,

And a way to take control,

Of a person or a circumstance,

It can really take its toll.

Sometimes it’s done with language,

Words that capture like a net,

Sometimes with plots and action,

To dominate and get.

Just when you have it cornered,

It somehow slips away,

Like some old crazy bovine,

You tried to pen all day.

Just when you got her gathered,

She bellered, jumped the fence,

And you have been a-chasin’,

That heifer ever since.

Or kinda like the weather,

You got the whole thing planned,

And ‘long comes Mother Nature,

And it blows to beat the band.

Or like this recent snowstorm,

Pipes freeze and pow’r goes out,

And things grind to a standstill,

And there’s no one with the clout,

Enough to rope and turn it,

Or even say just when,

It will all be over,

And back to what has been.

So what to do about it,

When that pony who’s dead broke,

Decides he wants to pitch awhile,

And, buddy, ain’t no joke,

‘Cause you’re pulling’ hard for leather,

Hoping you don’t hit the ground,

And you’re wonderin’ how it happened,

And this bucking gear he found.

Guess the final answer,

Comes when we finally say,

Lord, I can’t control things,

And want to live Your way.

I’ll stop manipulating,

I give up all control,

I really couldn’t do it,

And now I’m changing roles.

I ask You to take over,

I’m passing You the reins,

I trust You with my issues,

I pray You free my chains.

And I’ll be glad to follow,

I relinquish every right,

Please lead me by Your Spirit,

And fill me with Your light.

”…I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you…” (Romans 12:1, NLT)

The appropriate response to God’s grace is that we surrender control of our bodies and our lives to Him. When we give up the right to control, it positions us to receive God’s best and be led by Him into the great adventure of the Spirit-filled life. Never doubt that control is what it’s all about. We can make things happen or let them happen. We can force the issue or we can walk by faith. We can insist on our timing or trust in His. We can seize control or surrender it to Jesus. Those who surrender discover His way and will are better than anything we could manufacture or even imagine. Control. Give it up.

Lord, we give You control, in Jesus’ name.

Personal photo, at work at the Fort Worth Stockyard district.