Out of Control

Rebellious wild child is probably not a phrase most of you would match up with my name. So some of you – probably most of you – are wondering why I chose the title “Out of Control” for my blog.

There is a poem called “Iowa Child” written by Sarah Hall Mancy. Part of it reads -

“I am an Iowa Child

Part and product of the land on which I grew

Flat and open and straight, like

The farm road that bordered the corn

Friendly and receptive, like the rich,

Black silt that grows the corn

Simple, and plain, but productive,

Like the fields of soy beans and hay.

And I know my Iowa child must live

And come to terms with the part of me

That is controlled, precise, yearning

to be perfect-

Like the squared-off, ruler straight rows of hybrid seed corn.”

Therein lies my struggle. I am controlled, precise, yearning to be perfect and I hear Jesus speaking to me to completely surrender control of my life to Him. Sounds great and I am all for it intellectually but when I try to actually implement letting God have control of every area of my life I am confronted with just how controlling I am. If you would listen in on my prayer time, I am not sure you would know who was the master and who was the servant. I have suggestions to help God out. I have a specific time frame that I want adhered to. I think I know exactly what I need. I question His decision to allow this or that in my life. I rebel against God’s authority over my life.

So the title comes not from where I am but where I want to be. I want to give up control of every area of my life to the Lord. I want Him to direct my steps, I want Him to set my agenda, I want Him to open and close doors as He sees fit.

I hope you will join in my rebellion against a controlled, precise, yearning to be perfect life and allow God to set you free to be who He has designed you to be.

Romans 12

Place Your Life Before God

1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.