What I CAN Control

There are so many things in life that I have absolutely no control over. Maybe I've been treated unfairly by a boss, or someone has wrongly accused me and made life difficult. Maybe I have been hurt by a friend or my children refuse to listen to me. Maybe I have been overlooked for a job promotion time and time again when I know I'm qualified or maybe someone is spreading gossip about me that isn't true. Maybe my family has let me down or they have hurt me.  These are just a few of any number of situations that could arise on any given day. The difficult part? I can't change any of those things. I have no control over how people will talk about me or treat me. I don't get to choose what will happen in my day-to-day life and I usually can't make things go my way.

Here's the good part...I can ALWAYS control how I react. No matter what someone has done to me or said to me, I have a choice. I can respond in a way that will glorify Christ and serve as a testament to His grace and power, or I can respond the way the world would and seek only for revenge and self gratification.  I may not like when things don't go my way, when I am hurt by friends, when I am upset with my husband, my boss, or the grocery store cashier, but the way I respond will speak as to what is in my heart.

The hard part of all this...I will one day be held accountable for not only my words and actions, but also for the impact that those words and actions had on others. Did my response pull others towards Christ, or push them away? Everywhere we go, everything that we say, people are watching. I want my words to be full of love and truth and my actions to point others straight to the foot of the cross. If we are striving to Make Jesus Famous one life at a time, this has to be lived out in our lives, every day. Is it easy? No. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely.


In the past week, I have been reminded of this time after time. It first came up in a conversation with a young lady who is searching for God's will in her life. It came up with a friend when I was asking her for advice. It came up when I encountered a difficult situation and my husband advised me on how to respond. It came up today in our Sunday School class. God keeps bringing it back to me repeatedly, so I thought I would share it with you. Maybe it will help you with an issue you are struggling with right now, or maybe you can pass it along to someone you know needs it. 

Love you! Praying you all have a great week!