Life Under Control

I don't know how many times I said something like "Well, Chris's mom and dad let him go". Then my parents would respond, "We're not concerned with Chris, we're concerned with you." Ugh! My life was temporarily ruined! I didn't get what I wanted and I had a fight with a parent that "didn't understand me" anyway. Or, there were the times that someone else made me do something, be it a dare, being called a degrading name, or some other "reason" for causing me to go through with an action. It was "out of my control" to do it, right? That might have been what I thought, but it isn't what was actual.

Oh, those were the days! Learning who is in control of your life and following through with it. Even adults like to make excuses for why things go the way they do. That brings us to this week's quote...

Everyone's life is under someone's control - it might as well be under your own so that you can direct your destiny. ~ Harry Tucker

Whose control are you under? Have you had your temporary "peer pressure" moments when you caved to someone else, essentially being under their control? Had those "can't say no" moments? We've all been there.

The valuable lesson to learn is to understand when we need to be under the control of someone else and when we need to decide things for ourselves. I am not speaking of being under the control of God, that is a given. I am simply talking about the control we're under in different situations here, on earth.

Sometimes we need to get a backbone and stand up for what we believe in, in any given situation. Understand when you need to say no and when you can agree to something. Don't let people govern your life (guidance in life is OK).

Live your life under your control, where you decide the outcome and are pleased with the choices.

Gaining control...

No Victory in Mud Slinging

Complaints are a dime-a-dozen. It doesn't matter if it is a child complaining about what's for dinner, a fan/player complaining about an official's call or lack there of, a customer's dissatisfaction with their food, an actors work in a play/film, the weather, the government, or how a church operates. We find it easy to complain. We want to be satisfied, so when we're not, we don't give second chances, we expect to be pleased, so we let people know about it.

Have you been receiving complaints? I've had my fair share. I once thought I wanted to be a "famous" preacher. However, after knowing all that they go through from skeptics, I thought about it again and do not think I need to be "well-known".

If you have been experiencing some complaints lately, this week's quote is for you. I hope you gain encouragement from it...

If criticism is mistaken or mean-spirited, rise above it.
Maintain the high ground when you're under fire.
No victory is worth winning at the expense of picking up the mud that has been slung at you and throwing it back. ~ Rubel Shelly

It is easy to throw mud back. There are people out there that will always complain about something I have done. They have slung mud as they were upset. It took a lot to imitate Christ and not sling it back. Though it may make me feel good to throw the mud back, there is no victory found in mud slinging.

If you are thinking about slinging some mud...don't. If you've been slung at...don't sling back. There is no victory in that. Rise above being under fire! You can gain victory in rising above rather than lowering yourself to their level.

Ever trying to maintain the higher ground...with His help...