Ready For Release

Looking at my life, I have always been a woman who has seemingly tried to control so many things. From the conversations I have, to how I carry out my job, to the places I go. As I sit here today in a reflective state, I am learning more that life isn’t made for me to control. I can’t control what’s happening around me, because I am ultimately not the one in control, God is.

We often feel the need to control because we fear what will happen if we don’t. We can’t imagine a situation playing out other than our plans, so we alter it to our favor. & if that doesn’t stand well with us, we fight. I want you to think about the last time you took control. Now try to remember how you felt afterwards? My guess is the following: exhausted. Controlling a situation that is not meant for us to control leaves us on empty. We spend unnecessary energy to shift and move and strive for our preferred outcome, and though we might end up with “what we want” we also end up burned out. We are not meant to live like that. Control is not our cross to bear.

Recently I went on a trip to Thailand. Before this trip, I had the most beautiful itinerary imaginable, with every little detail planned out from how we would get place to place to the restaurants we would eat at. However, once we arrived in Thailand, that itinerary basically went out the window. This was a hard lesson in releasing control. My travel partner was all about spontaneity and figuring it out along the way. However, when we got to a lot of the cities we were in, we just chose to ask around what to do, where to go, what to explore, and in truth I have never had so much fun not having a plan. One day we were staying in Phuket and were scheduled to fly out the next day to Bangkok, and looked at each other and said “I like it here, let’s just stay.” Without a plan, without a place to stay, we just went with it. We ended up cancelling our flight and staying an extra day, where we kayaked around an island, snorkeled and saw so many new creatures, and explored new parts of the city. We were free to do as we wanted. That’s what releasing control will bring you: freedom. A new freedom to purely enjoy what our God has given us. In all honesty, the beginning of this trip I fought to do as I had planned, and the struggle just brought me hurt and frustration. Towards the end, I found so much more peace. I found perspective. I’m grateful for those around me being patient with me as I go on this journey of releasing control, because I'm truly breaking chains of control as I go. But that’s what we’re called to do – break the chains of control.

It’s time for a release, dear hearts. It’s time to fully trust that God has every little piece under His control. He’s written the plan out already. He knows the answer because He’s the one that wrote the question. We need to surrender our control over to him. The bible says in Romans 8:28 that “all things work together for good for those who love Him…” Not those who control. Not those who strive. Not those who try hard. Who love Him. When we release control and surrender over to Him, we’re showing that we love Him enough to let Him have our future. That we believe scripture when He says “I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you, to give you hope and a future…” (Jeremiah 29:11). Let’s learn to be okay when the outcome doesn’t go our way, and embrace the new journey that awaits when we release our expectations of how it should go. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that goes “let go and let God.” Let’s hold that to our hearts. God cares for us and He won’t let us down. Let’s let go, let’s release. There’s beauty, joy, and so much freedom waiting on the other side.