"Control"

You know when driving cattle,

It’s all about control,

To keep ‘em heading homeward,

And when you’re on that roll.

You never try to rush ‘em,

Or make a lot of noise,

Just ease along and push ‘em,

If you’ve got the right cowboys.

And even with herd-quitters,

Or those who try escape,

You try to keep your patience,

And trot at a steady pace.

It’s not the same with horses,

With whom you make a start,

A personal connection,

A matter of the heart.

You’re working as a partner,

A team to get things done,

And so you build his trust up,

And when he tries to run,

You don’t just dominate him,

Or make him feel controlled,

In fact you win him over,

So he’ll respect your role.

I’ve thought a lot about it,

All that this implies,

How we treat each other,

And what works best, no lies.

People are not cattle,

To be driven to somplace,

And so we don’t control ‘em,

Or insist on our own pace.

But more like with the horses,

Love and trust’s the thing,

And when they both are working,

Good outcomes they can bring.

So let’s try to step back,

Let the Lord control,

And let Him lead in everything,

Feels good down in your soul.

“Give all your worries and cares to God…” (1 Peter 5:7, NLT)

Control is hard to surrender. What keeps us from letting go? The biggest reason is probably fear and insecurity. If people are afraid, they typically feel the need to exert control over situations and other people. But, truth is, people don’t appreciate being dominated by others. They feel manipulated and bullied, and end up reacting in negative ways. The very effort to control others backfires and is ineffective. The analogy of the poem contrasts how we work with bovine versus equine. Driving cattle is about control. You carefully make them go where you want them to be, and use their instinctual fear to do it. Working with a young horse is entirely different because it’s about building trust, not coercion. The Lord could make us do what He wants but instead, He leads us into a relationship of trust, and releases His peace to the obedient.

Lord, help us surrender control, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, clarkkelleyprice.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.