On August 1, 2015 as I was on my way to church, I stopped under a red light and another car bumped into the rear of my car. While the damage was not bad at all, the event brought to me to the thought that it could have been worse; with me ending at the hospital or worse death. I thought about the event and see that there was nothing I could have done to stop what happened-I was powerless. In this article, we will talk about how us human beings don't have control over the circumstances that we find ourselves in most of the time and are merely choosing between options.
“All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (vv. 6b–8).Isaiah 40:6–11
Society of control
We live in a society that teaches us that we have control over our destiny, that whatever we achieve and the circumstances we find ourselves in are the results of our own work. So we all become consumed in trying to control everything around us and when things don't go according to our liking, we fall into great despair, some even go as far as to commit suicide.
How much control do we have?
In truth we don't have much control over things around us and even our lives. Think about it!? If you end up in a plane that is about to crash, how much control do you think you have in that situation? We have to come to the realization that we don't have much control and that we merely have the power of choices. So if you are going to school for something that you thought was your dream and you see that it is not working out, take the time to think about why you are pursuing that path and why not another. Always inquire about the choices you are making because life is not set in stones. Look at the circumstances to hear what they are trying to tell you.
Choices or control?
The most power we have as human being is the power to choose. Let me give a few examples to clarify what I mean. Imagine being captured and sold into slavery, now as a slave you have no power over yourself or the circumstance you find yourself in, only the choice to submit and remain a slave or to rise up and suffer the consequences. Or let's say that you are walking down the streets and some one punches you, you had no power over the circumstances but have the choices on how you will respond; whether you will hit the person back or turn the other cheek. One other example is that we all could have been at the same place together and a natural disaster occurs where some end up losing their life and others survive. None had the power to control whether they live or die.
Success or Failure
Even in the idea of success and failure we don't have as much control as we think we do. Bill Gates is one such example. He was going to school with many intelligent peers, they were all taught that going to school is the key to financial success, yet he dropped out of school and became more successful than all of his peers who probably went and get higher degrees than he did. Some of them probably even have high degrees and are currently living in abject poverty. Have you ever seen yourself trying so hard and in many different ways to achieve a set of goals, whether it be education, a job etc... and still failing? while another is just breezing through. I mean take a good look at it, we didn't choose how we were born and the condition we were born in. Some were born rich and some poor. Some were fortunate to be at the right time and the right place and therefore are successful while others were not. The most well known athletes are not necessarily the best in their particular sport in the world but they were the ones fortunate to be chosen.
Are the powerful really powerful?
Even those we think are powerful are not really so when one truly analyze things. Look at president Barack Obama for example. There are many people that are probably more qualified to be president, but they were not chosen. Did Obama have control over himself being chosen to lead? Did the ones who were not chosen had any power over that? I say no! If you'd like to even reach a little further down in history and study guys like Napoleon Bonaparte who rose from obscurity to power, you can see that it is a whole set of circumstances that he had no power over that brought him to his position. I mean the guy was involved in countless wars and still survived to become an emperor. Meanwhile many fellow soldiers, some in better positions than he was perished. Some nations rise, some fall, despite how hard they try to secure themselves. Even a king is not so powerful, the king in his own person has no power but his counting or putting his faith on those around him that they will obey his words, and when some don't obey the king's words we end up with something call a coup d'état or revolution where the king himself may lose his life.
Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. 21"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. Daniel 2:20-22
Conclusion
In truth, we as human beings are powerless to the forces and circumstances around us. We only have control on how we react to what life throws at us and how we react doesn't guarantee the result we seek. It is as if there are greater powers at play that we don't understand. Let us not fret over situations that we have no control over. If we had control over the situation, then there would be no need to stress because we would have changed the situation a long time ago. My advice to you is since the only power we truly have is the power to choose between the options that have been given to us, let us strive to choose the right options every time. But the best advice would be to seek the one that truly have power over everything and let His will be done in your life. This is the key to freedom, therefore stress no more.
1 Unless the LORD builds1 the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches2 over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Psalm 127:1
http://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/127-1.html
“All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (vv. 6b–8).Isaiah 40:6–11
Society of control
We live in a society that teaches us that we have control over our destiny, that whatever we achieve and the circumstances we find ourselves in are the results of our own work. So we all become consumed in trying to control everything around us and when things don't go according to our liking, we fall into great despair, some even go as far as to commit suicide.
How much control do we have?
In truth we don't have much control over things around us and even our lives. Think about it!? If you end up in a plane that is about to crash, how much control do you think you have in that situation? We have to come to the realization that we don't have much control and that we merely have the power of choices. So if you are going to school for something that you thought was your dream and you see that it is not working out, take the time to think about why you are pursuing that path and why not another. Always inquire about the choices you are making because life is not set in stones. Look at the circumstances to hear what they are trying to tell you.
Choices or control?
The most power we have as human being is the power to choose. Let me give a few examples to clarify what I mean. Imagine being captured and sold into slavery, now as a slave you have no power over yourself or the circumstance you find yourself in, only the choice to submit and remain a slave or to rise up and suffer the consequences. Or let's say that you are walking down the streets and some one punches you, you had no power over the circumstances but have the choices on how you will respond; whether you will hit the person back or turn the other cheek. One other example is that we all could have been at the same place together and a natural disaster occurs where some end up losing their life and others survive. None had the power to control whether they live or die.
Success or Failure
Even in the idea of success and failure we don't have as much control as we think we do. Bill Gates is one such example. He was going to school with many intelligent peers, they were all taught that going to school is the key to financial success, yet he dropped out of school and became more successful than all of his peers who probably went and get higher degrees than he did. Some of them probably even have high degrees and are currently living in abject poverty. Have you ever seen yourself trying so hard and in many different ways to achieve a set of goals, whether it be education, a job etc... and still failing? while another is just breezing through. I mean take a good look at it, we didn't choose how we were born and the condition we were born in. Some were born rich and some poor. Some were fortunate to be at the right time and the right place and therefore are successful while others were not. The most well known athletes are not necessarily the best in their particular sport in the world but they were the ones fortunate to be chosen.
Are the powerful really powerful?
Even those we think are powerful are not really so when one truly analyze things. Look at president Barack Obama for example. There are many people that are probably more qualified to be president, but they were not chosen. Did Obama have control over himself being chosen to lead? Did the ones who were not chosen had any power over that? I say no! If you'd like to even reach a little further down in history and study guys like Napoleon Bonaparte who rose from obscurity to power, you can see that it is a whole set of circumstances that he had no power over that brought him to his position. I mean the guy was involved in countless wars and still survived to become an emperor. Meanwhile many fellow soldiers, some in better positions than he was perished. Some nations rise, some fall, despite how hard they try to secure themselves. Even a king is not so powerful, the king in his own person has no power but his counting or putting his faith on those around him that they will obey his words, and when some don't obey the king's words we end up with something call a coup d'état or revolution where the king himself may lose his life.
Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. 21"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. Daniel 2:20-22
Conclusion
In truth, we as human beings are powerless to the forces and circumstances around us. We only have control on how we react to what life throws at us and how we react doesn't guarantee the result we seek. It is as if there are greater powers at play that we don't understand. Let us not fret over situations that we have no control over. If we had control over the situation, then there would be no need to stress because we would have changed the situation a long time ago. My advice to you is since the only power we truly have is the power to choose between the options that have been given to us, let us strive to choose the right options every time. But the best advice would be to seek the one that truly have power over everything and let His will be done in your life. This is the key to freedom, therefore stress no more.
1 Unless the LORD builds1 the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches2 over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Psalm 127:1
http://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/127-1.html
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