Are you a control freak? Do you have a deep and unhealthy attachment to “how it should be” or the “way you want it” or “what they should be doing”? Our need for control is often based in fear. It could be a fear of the unknown, a fear of change, a fear of discomfort or pain, or a fear that we aren’t “enough” to handle what comes from the unexpected.
Letting go of the things we can't control is an act of courage. In Western culture, we are often taught just the opposite. We are taught to take control. While “taking control” has qualities that can push us towards action and change, it also can be an illusion that makes us feel safe and often disappoints, causing frustration for ourselves and others.
Breathe. Pause for a moment. Listen to the wisdom within yourself and reflect on this question.
What is it that you have control over?
The concept of surrender gets a bad rap in our culture. For the Western mind, it can suggest weakness, giving up, or failing. Yet in the spiritual life, there is a power and wisdom in surrendering, letting go, and acceptance. Letting go can be the key to spiritual freedom, for it is in the release that you gain. You gain faith. You gain a stronger relationship with Spirit. You gain a stronger relationship with those around you. You gain more answers and more possibilities. We can be restricted and limited by holding onto the reigns of life so tightly. Where can you let go? Where can you make room for something bigger than you? Where can you be in acceptance? Stand in the things that you do have control of powerfully and humbly, then let the rest go. In that process of letting go, fear may be present and it is not always easy to do....remember that the courage and power within you is stronger than any fear or difficulty.
Use me, God.
Show me how to take who I am,
who I want to be,
and what I can do,
and use it for a purpose greater than myself.
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Music meditation: Choklate, “Bigger Than You”