Control Issues

All my life, I have struggled with control issues.  When I was playing sports, I was the guy that wanted the ball when the game was on the line.  Why?  Not because I felt that I was the best player, but because I wanted to know that I did everything in my power to effect the outcome; positively or negatively.  If we won the game, great! If we lost, put it on me!  I had no problem carrying that weight on my back.  That's what leaders do, right?

Wrong.

Leaders that rely on God realize that they aren't the ones in control of the situation.  God is the one that is in control.  I don't know about you, but when I used to think about a great analogy for this, I thought of God drawing up a map and handing it to me.  When in reality, it's a very different thought.

Living out that "God is in Control" looks more like this: You are standing in an open field blind-folded.  you hear a voice telling you what to do.  "Take two steps right."  "Walk three steps."  We've all done that activity before, but what happens when you hear, "Run until I tell you to stop."  That's what takes real trust.  That's letting go.

"Remember the things I have done in the past.  For I alone am God!  I am God, and there is none like me.  Only I can tell you the future before it even happens.  Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish." Isaiah 46:9-10

I don't know about you, but I often forget the things God has done "in the past."  I often revert to relying on myself.  I forget that God may have something better for me if I just follow His direction.  

I'm a planner.  I like to work ahead.  I like to assess the situation from all angles.  But what happens when you're blindfolded and God tells you to run without stopping?  Will you trust Him?  Will you relinquish control?