Power Struggle

Having grown up in Daytona Beach, Florida, I’ve actually experienced the powerful force of a hurricane.  Although our city was spared of the damage that the hurricane brings, I understand the power of wind and water.  Their power can completely destroy a home.  I saw homes in New Orleans moved completely moved from their original lot.  The power of a hurricane reminds me of whom we let have power over our lives.

In recent years, I have discovered that it is me who allows the right or wrong people to empower me.  I allow people to have power over me, or I allow myself to empower people to strengthen their own gifts and use them to change the world.  The second part is very difficult to do, but it is much more rewarding than trying to have power and control over everything in life. 

It was so eye opening for me that I allow people to control me.  Only I can control me.  I allow God to have control over me, but he does not treat me like a robot.  He allows me to have the freedom to choose what I will in life.  When I choose to follow his will, life can be challenging, but in the end it is rewarding.  When I choose for others to control me and tell me how I should be living, thinking, behaving, or being a Christian, I’m not always following God’s will for me. 

I was reminded today from Erwin McManus that we cannot just sit back and expect God to just do great things.  I’ve done some studying on the life of David in the Bible and I’ve realized that he was prepared to fight Goliath.  He prepared for a long time.  It wasn’t something that God just called him up as he sat at the coffee shop playing his harp.   He had fought lions and bears with his bare hands to protect his sheep.  Surely, he was prepared to fight off an arrogant behemoth.  Being prepared gives us power.

Instead of trying to control others or allowing others to control me, I have decided to empower others to be great and empower myself to use the gifts and talents that I have to make a difference in the world.  If we all could stop thinking our arguing and fighting is all-powerful, our hurricanes in life would dissipate into small tropical storms.