Releasing Control and Trusting All Will be Well
As the fire crackled and popped, my mind began to wander back across the year. It's the end of camping season, and as we are winterizing the RV to put it to sleep until next year, I'm a bit sad it's over already. At first, I focused on all the fun I had and the memories made, but then my thoughts shifted to all of the things I lacked.
I didn't accomplish what I had hoped to accomplish this year, and that thought sends me into sheer panic. Do I have enough time left in the year to turn it around? Can I still do everything I had hoped to do in the two short months that remain? Oh my, two months is all that remains of 2025. Ahhhhhh!
Trust
It's a whisper I hear within my soul when I can feel my emotions bordering on the edge of being out of control.
How? I ask, knowing an answer won't follow.
Have you ever experienced an unexplained unsettling of your spirit? You may have felt a boost of anxiety, creating a rapid heart rate response to whatever is going on around you. Sometimes the cause of this response is easy to identify, but sometimes, it requires a bit more work and detective skills to determine.
For me, an overload is usually my trigger. Either I overloaded my schedule, my responsibilities, or my time spent with people. Yes, even time spent with others can initiate this response within me.
When I find myself battling this feeling of anxiousness that arises, I try to remind myself that things that create this unsettling of my spirit are not of God. And as such, I need to eliminate the root cause as soon as possible, if possible.
““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”” —John 16:33 NIV
In Jesus, we may have peace. But in this world, we will have trouble. This reminder is something I need to hear more and more. There is so much uncertainty right now. Turmoil. Pain. Heartache. Stress. Financial difficulties. Everywhere you look, you are faced with it.
What do you do when it is staring at you constantly day after day? Well, you eliminate it. I had this conversation over the weekend with a friend who was telling me that every time they are on social media, they are faced with things that leave their spirit unsettled. My suggestion was to stop doom scrolling. Turn it off. Reach for your Bible. Spend time in solitude. And pray. Pray diligently, without ceasing.
In Jesus, we have peace.
So turn to Jesus.
If we put aside all of the trouble in the world today and focus on what is in our direct control that is causing anxiety, we can then begin to look for solutions that help us in our day to day.
What do you mean, Shonda?
If I spend all my time hyper-fixated on things I have no control over, I lose sight of what is set before me. As a result, my business suffers, my relationship suffers, and my state of mind suffers. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
What is it that God is calling you to do? Are you doing that thing, or are you distracted?
Distraction comes from the enemy directly as a means to keep you from fulfilling God's work. It's an age old trick. Repeated time and time again, but yet time and time again, we fall for it!
Listen, friend, I'm guilty of this too. I have gotten so off track this year that I'm overwhelmed looking at what needs to be done just to get back on track, let alone DOING the thing I was supposed to be doing in the first place. Don't think that this post is me preaching at you, it's more me preaching at myself.
We have 71 days remaining of 2025. That is 71 chances for you to turn it around. To prioritize your calling, your faith, your relationships, your business, or whatever you have been putting off. Don't let those 71 chances pass you by without taking control of the days before you.
We make the choice to sit idle or to take action. No one makes the choice for us. It is up to us to choose wisely. So how do we do that?
Trust.
There are two verses that I turn to when I need to work on the areas of trusting God that I am lacking:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
These verses are actually my favorite and have been since I was 16. I memorized them early on and carry them on my heart all the time. Primarily because I do have trust issues. I want to control my destiny, not leave destiny to someone else. Trusting God means releasing control to Him and trusting that the outcome will be favorable despite knowing there's a big chance it may not be. He never promised it would be easy—In this world you will have trouble.
Friend, I want to encourage you to let go of the death grip you have on controlling things right now. We can take action while also letting go and trusting God.
I want to share one last thing with you. The steps I take to turn things around when I reach this state of mind. These are tried and tested methods that work for me. They may or may not work for you. You have to find what works best for you, as we are all different in our approach. Don't stop trying, though. If everything you've tried has failed you in the past, know that you may be in a different place today than you were when you last tried. Circle back and try again.
My steps:
- Pick up my planner and wipe the dust off of it, then put it to good use
- Be intentional with my time by establishing boundaries and time limits used when scrolling on social media or group texting
- Prioritize the things I feel called to do and incorporate a strategy to work on them within the things I have to do (like work, sleep, relationships, eat, etc.)
- Spend an extra 15 minutes minimum in solitude and prayer daily to ease my troubled soul
- Disconnect when things are too overwhelming by going outside and sitting in the quiet for five minutes without a device nearby
- Accept that resting is productive and crucial to be the best version of myself that I possibly can be
- Adjust my attitude—when I'm stressed, be mindful of how I'm speaking to others—does it breathe life into them?
- Pick up one of your hobbies that is mindless but fills your heart with happiness and work that in once a week. For me, it's currently learning hand embroidery, and I feel productive (busy hands) while also resting (television time)
- Read every day. Fiction to escape reality and non-fiction to learn something new.
- Above all, give yourself grace and trust that God is in control
Praying you'll be able to find peace.
With Grace, Shonda Ramsey