Control is the greatest of all illusions. We don't have as much control as we think we do, and yet, at the same time, we have more control than we realize.
Let me try to explain.
I have no control over other drivers on the road or how fast (or slow) my Starbucks barista makes my drink. I can't control what people think about me. I can't control the answers to my prayers or the ways I'd like to see God show up in my life. I can't control crazy circumstances like accidents, surprise illnesses, or high pain days. I can't control the ways other people's decisions impact my life.
I have zero control over any of those things, no matter how badly I wish I did.
But — and this is a big but — I do have control over more than I like to admit. It's just not over the things I'd like to be in control of.
I don’t have control over my circumstances. But I do have control over myself.
No matter what happens to me or what others do, I can control my own choices, responses, and actions.
If I choose to.
But the choice is mine.
In difficult situations, it's up to me to choose joy. When the wait is long, it's up to me to choose patience. When trust is hard, it is up to me to choose to trust anyway.
So my One Word for 2012?
I want to be more mindful of the choices I have when everything seems out of control. I want to be more intentional to choose Him and His ways, even when it's hard. I want to be more purposeful in my responses and reactions to circumstances and people in my life.
I want to remember that while there may be many things I lack, I always have a choice.
And I want to choose well...