Feeling Out of Control?

Are you feeling out of control with your life?

Are the pressures, circumstances, and people around you causing you to feel uneasy and tense? 

Are you living with a whirlwind of emotions each day?

I can successfully say that I have been feeling out of control.

• Only two more days until I host the graduation party for my niece.  Everything seems to be in line, but the pressure of it all has still gotten to me.
• My husband has put the course in motion for us to go on a cruise to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary – gulp!  A cruise?  “Um, didn’t we just commemorate the Titanic’s sinking?”  That’s where my thoughts go…
• The decisions and choices of my teen put me in a tailspin often, as I try to keep my bearings.
• My toddler has become extremely needy lately and is clinging to me like peanut butter.

These are some of the circumstances in my life that have made me feel very out of control.  Let me just say that I have seriously considered investing stock in Kleenex.

When we feel out of control, there are some good helps.

1. Look to your God – the One Who is in control!  He is our help in time of need!
2. Lean on your husband.  My husband gave me a serious talk last night about how I need to trust in him and let him lead.  It. is. hard!  It is hard to let my preferences and emotions go and somehow be calm and trust his lead.  Nonetheless, God gave us our husbands as a stabilizing factor.
3. Control what you can control.  The Bible is clear that we are in charge of controlling ourselves.  It is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5.  We may not be able to control our circumstances or the people in our lives, but we can control ourselves.  If we can gain self-control of our thoughts and feelings, we will gain peace.
4. Keep seeking productivity and proactivity.  When we are feeling out of control, we must keep in motion.  We need vision for our lives.  Checking off the “to do” list and setting our minds and bodies on good things refreshes us.

If you feel out of control, breathe with me.  We can do this!

We can do all things through our God who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).