The Illusion of Control

By Ephesus

Our culture tells us that we need to be in control of our lives in every aspect possible. Take for example the weather. In the past, if there weren’t any snow on our world-renowned snow-peaked Vancouver mountains, we’d cancel the ski trip and make other plans. Then along came the invention of the snow machine, which allowed us to make snow whenever and however much we want it. On July 1, 1997 during the famous Hong Kong handover, the flags of China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) both flew with the help of wind-blowing machines even though it was a dry windless day. At first glance, we humans seem to have a firm grasp on life.

However, reality knocks and tells us otherwise. Recently, two of my friends were married and it was a great time of celebration and joy. As the groom and bride faced each other and recited their vows, there was a sense that time had stopped and happiness would last forever. However, reality often falls much shorter than the dreams and visions that we have. This is evident in our lives as we deal with the everyday crises of death and illness among family and friends. Living in the fallen world brings to our attention the fact that life is not perfect — not everything goes as according to plan.

The Christian way tells us that our only real way of taking control of our lives is relinquishing control to God. When Paul instructs the early church to be free from sin and be slaves to righteousness, we must understand that it means being slaves to Christ in every facet of our lives (see Romans 6:15-23). Many of us spend too much time planning for what is to come, something that the apostle James strongly warns against, saying that we must put everything in the context of God’s will (James 4:13-17). I am not advocating for a complacent, pessimistic, and depressing life. Life is not about going through the motions and wasting the time God has given us. In fact, God is adamant that we be salt and light in the world, to bring glory to God as His redeemed children. God’s purpose in our lives is so simple and clear that we, living our cluttered contemporary lives, have trouble accepting it. In Micah 6:8, God’s will for us is “[t]o act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Instead of trying to grab the steering wheels from God, we need to learn to hand it over to Him and be obedient to His commands to us. Having an omnipotent and omniscient God tells us that we are in good hands, the same hands that were pierced for our transgressions. If we firmly believe that Christ’s wounds have healed us, there is no reason for us not to believe that He will also take care of us in our times of need. Helplessness may be felt in both non-Christians and Christians alike, but the difference rests in that Christians have God to guide and lead in every situation, if only we learn to submit to His will.