Who Has Control?

   Like many families, we have more than one television in our home. And as a result,  we have a running joke which goes like this: How long will the other members of our family sit and watch a show when someone besides themselves is controlling the TV Remote? I have to admit that my love of football, the History Channel, Fox News, and the Discovery Channel has left me on numerous occasions alone in the room watching my show.

   In comparison, I wonder how often we have given up quality time with others (Including God) because we refuse to give up control in some area of our lives. Madonna, the famed pop star, recently confessed that she rarely gets more than four hours of sleep each night. In one frank assessment of her hectic lifestyle she exclaimed; "I'm a workaholic. I have insomnia. And I'm a control freak."  

   Ever since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, man has been on a quest to maintain control of his life and his environment. Lives are spiraling out of control as a result of poor decisions, but people still fight for control. Even if it means ill health or staying addicted, many refuse help if it means letting go. 

   And the same is true when it comes to God. Most people are willing to go God’s way if God goes their way. They say to God, “I’ll live for You so long as I agree and understand what You’re doing."  But when He requires them to sacrifice or follow him in ways they don’t comprehend, they second guess Him and don't obey His requests. All the while, they fool themselves in to thinking that God is 'Lord' of their lives.

   But how can we call Jesus, Lord, a title that means 'master' or 'ruler' and then say ‘no’ to Him? It’s a contradiction in terms. We can't call someone Lord of our life and then reject their rulership and fight them for control. I've witnessed too many people trying to control their lives and its outcome when they should be trusting God and allowing Him to guide their lives. In the same way, I've watched people make their spouses and other family members miserable in their attempts to manipulate and gain control over them. But if we're not meant to control our lives, we certainly should avoid controlling the lives of others.

   Furthermore, this isn't the way God operates. He’s a gentleman that won't force you to follow Him with threats or ultimatums. You might be thinking to yourself, "Doesn't He threaten to throw us into hell if we don't follow Him?" I would answer, 'No!' God doesn't send anyone to hell. Hell is a place that is devoid of God and everything He created (love, family, life, beauty, peace, etc...). Hell was never intended for mankind. It's our refusal to relinquish control of our lives and our sins that ultimately sends us to hell. And when we reject God, we give up the things of God (i.e. Heaven). And He gives everyone the freedom to reject Him. 

   Unlike us, God doesn’t need our acceptance or approval to operate. We NEED Him to move and breathe and exist! We need Him in order to understand the true meaning of love, life, joy, and peace. Without Him, these things don't exist in their truest sense.

   We can complain about what God has done. We can complain about how He structured creation, or we can look at it in the way that G.K. Chesterton said it here:

  “I’m not going to complain that there is only one door to heaven. I am going to thank Him that there is at least one.”

   God would be perfectly just if He decided to allow no way for mankind to enter heaven. But in His great love and mercy, He created one through Jesus Christ. And when we complain about His decisions, we're challenging His Lordship and fighting for the control that is rightly His. 

   So I ask you, who is controlling your life?