Control Freaks

We like to be in control. 

We want the sun to come up as expected, we want our car to start, we want our hard work to show up on the score board or in the pocket book, we want the wind to be at our back, we want our shore lines to remain the same, and we want our weather to do what it is supposed to. 

We desperately want to be in control, yet we see the better team lose, we see the hardest worker lose out to someone who just does enough, the wind changes direction, we see Hurricane Katrina and Sandy change our shorelines.

This past week we had 5 athletes swim faster than they ever swam, get NCAA qualifying times, and not get to go to the NCAA meet because the cut lines keep getting faster.  I think every coach has those athletes that do everything right yet don't get the results they deserve.  How can we stay in control when things seem so out of our control?


1.  Some of the things we appreciate the most are out of our control:  I don't get the chance to surf a lot, but I could surf all day long.  I love being in the big waves and feeling the power of the ocean, the feeling of being insignificant and being at the mercy of the waves.  I love visiting our national parks, and believe it or not, the things we find most beautiful did not come from a controlled event, rather a series of unpredictable events.  Finally, I love watching my athletes get through hurdles that come up out of no where.  My teams that have made the most progress any given year are the ones that have more hurdles to get over, or feel like they have a headwind more than a tailwind throughout the season.  These teams learn more.

2.  We learn more, are more creative, and motivated when we are forced to adapt:  Think back to the most memorable events in your life, the time you learned the most, a time that shaped who you are, when you did something you thought you couldn't do.  Those days were not written down in advance on a calendar like a doctors appointment, they just happened, usually when we were not ready for it.  Many of the best songs, paintings, and performances were inspired by events or sequences out of our control.

3.  It is all part of God's Creation:  The next time you have to deal with an unexpected head wind, it rains on your vacation, or something doesn't go as planned, learn to see the beauty in it.  Because it is not all about you.  Your headwind is someones tailwind, the rain on your special plans is a farmers answer to prayer, and you can still overcome those obstacles and make a difference in your life and the lives around you. 

Be thankful that we are NOT in control.  It would be a boring world.

Psalms 22:28 - For the kingdom [is] the LORD'S: and he [is] the governor among the nations.