How to Take Control, a.k.a. Let Go of Control

Have you ever felt like things were out of control?  I think we've all been there before.  Lately, it's on my mind, a lot, especially since the sermon we had on Sunday.  Pastor was preaching from Matthew 6:25-34, where it reminds us to not be anxious.  What kinds of things make you anxious or worried?  We had a good discussion about this subject in our small group last night.  We talked about how some people are more predisposed to anxiety, even battling it as a syndrome, requiring medication.

  My take on these verses is that Jesus is reassuring us that we can relax and not worry if we focus on the reality that we have a heavenly Father who knows our needs and who cares about us.  Jesus said that unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven.  So, by being like a little kid, I would say that He wants us to give up control.  That's hard for adults, but not for kids.  Kids just trust their parents to take care of all of their needs.  Well, unfortunately, we know that not all parents are faithful to carry out their parental duties and end up neglecting their children.  But, I'm talking about a normal, healthy family in which the children are cared for by loving moms and dads.  In that atmosphere, kids can sleep peacefully, knowing that they are secure.

You see how they don't need to have things under control?

For some reason, it gets harder as we get older and learn about our adult responsibilities.  That's why Jesus had to remind us that it's all about trusting that He is in control, not us!  So, what is it that you and I CAN control, and what is it that we CANNOT control?  Well, I can make important decisions, on a daily basis, about what goes into my eyes, ears and mouth.  I can decide if I'll choose to exercise or not.  I can decide if I'll tackle that pile of laundry or grading (for homeschooling moms/teachers) that needs to be done.  There are many things that I can say, "Yes," or "no," to.  It's up to me to make the best choices that I can.  However, there are so many things in this world that I have absolutely no control over.  So, why worry about it?!  Isn't that God's job?

Well, one of the areas that I'm trying to learn how to take control over, but not always doing such a good job, is how to keep my everyday life and home organized so that I can take control of my time.  It's not always easy when you're a homeschooling mom and also working another part-time job, outside of the home.  I'm trying to learn about what my trouble areas are.  The two that are most bothering me right now are:  paperwork (mail, magazines, etc.) and my nightstand area of the bedroom.  Those two problem areas often overlap.  So, as I type this up, I'm away from home picturing in my mind that horrible disaster area which I wish I could tackle right now!  Okay, I'm home now, so let me show you the shocking before and after pictures…

Another thing that has seemed out of control is our finances.  We are in deep debt and trying so hard to crawl out, but then more-and-more things keep breaking around our house.  Since Springtime my hubby tells me we've already had to fork out enough money that at least two of us could have taken round-trip tickets to Thailand and back.  The latest thing to go was our garage door opener.  But, we didn't really want the chain breaking and hitting us in the head!  So, I'm trying to do the simple things to take control, like trying my best to not use a credit card to charge things like food and gas.  I'm doing meal planning and happily receiving any kind of free food offers that come my way.  If I run out of bread before my next paycheck, I use the ingredients in my pantry and the bread machine that my mom graciously gave me, to actually make my own bread.

What are some ways that you've cut back and been able to save and simplify your life?  Another thing I've done is to make a pledge not to go into further debt by spending things I can't pay for, related to Penny's senior year.  I've decided to take her to a department store to get some indoor Senior photos taken, for an inexpensive package deal.  And I took the outdoor Senior shots, myself, at the golf course and parks near our home.  Who says you have to hire a professional photographer?  That's one thing I really like about homeschooling.  You already feel like you're doing things out-of-the-norm.  So, the pressure's off!  You're free to do things your own way and don't have to care less what other seniors might be doing.  Someone told me that they had a friend who actually spent $1200 just on senior pictures, alone!  I don't want to go there!!

And now, Jay is trying to figure out if there is a way that he can get his health under control.  He made a decision over the past weekend that he's really going to make an effort to make healthier choices.  Part of it was prompted by the fact that he fights daily pain in so many different parts of his body.  Lately, he's been hit by headaches, that he thinks are called, "cluster headaches".  We read up on it and found that one healthy remedy is supposedly calcium and magnesium supplements, along with CoQ 10 enzymes.  We're going to give that a chance, along with eating more foods rich in magnesium, like green leafy veggies and almonds.  Now I told Jay he can't complain anymore when I feed him broccoli.

Another way in which I've tried to cut back, is by spending as little money as possible with homeschooling.  I'm finding that I can get much of my curriculum for at least half the price if I buy it on E-bay.  I'm also trying to sell more things on E-bay, as well.  And I get a lot of the material I use for either free or very little price on the internet.  My latest favorite discovery was mathpapa.com!  What a lifesaver!  And we LOVE the library!

I'm trying to teach Penny the value of saving money and utilizing the library.  Apparently, it's paying off.  When we went to the HUGE and amazing bookstore the other day, she was tempted to beg for every book that her heart desired.  But, she didn't!  She asked me for a piece of paper and started writing down all of the titles of the books that interested her.  I told her that I would buy her one book, only.  And she was content with that.  She even found the same book in audio version, at the library, and put it on hold as soon as we came home.  Since she got those, she's been having so much fun listening/reading that book all on her own.

That's a great step for her!  When she first started high school she still hated reading. But, she's now learned to love reading and how to put books on hold, on her own.  It's actually become a good problem that I can hardly pull her away from reading, now.  And she's learned to choose books that are real classics, too.

 Most of all, it makes me so glad to know that she is loving God's word.  In fact, we were both thrilled to receive free Gideon New Testaments at the Gideon Pastor Appreciation Meeting, for which Jay sang the solo, "How Great Thou Art".  That was a good reminder to us, in this world filled with so many things that we can't control, that God is still in control and is ALWAYS great, no matter what!  We can trust Him!