Take Control

Jeremiah 2:²⁵ “Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway? But you say, ‘I can’t help it…’” (MSG)

For traction and control, the first thing you need is a Good Grip With The Road (The Way). The second thing you need is to Control Your Speed. You need to control your speed even in good conditions. Have you noticed that the more you increase your speed, the less control you have over the vehicle? If you are driving at one hundred and forty kilometres per hour, you have less control than when you are going at fifty kilometres per hour. If you have a city that is used to speed, there will always be problems when the conditions are bad. If you bring it home to your life; if you cannot control your speed, you cannot control your life. If you cannot control the speed of your life, you cannot actually control that life itself.

If your life appears to be out of control, control the speed. There are several dimensions of controlling speed, but we are just going to touch on a few. One dimension of controlling speed is Community. Community is so big, so important, and so powerful. We were created for community. When you are in community, if you attempt to be errant, there is someone to pull your ears and pull you back. There is an African proverb that says, “If You Want To Go Fast Go Alone. If You Want To Go Far, Go Together.” If you go alone, no doubt you will be fast, but you are going to burn out. If you want to go far, go in the community.

The person that insists on going alone, may run a hundred meters and be ahead of the pack, right? But the person going together, going in community will eventually catch up with the one that went alone. By the time the community gets to the hundred meters mark, the person who went alone is out of air, exhausted, and disillusioned. The community will go past him. if you want to go fast in your spiritual life or in whatever endeavour, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together, go in community. You must control your speed.

Life is short and it passes quickly, slow down! You need to slow down. You may not be able to slow down time, one second will always be one second. But you can slow yourself down to get the best of that one second. For example, slow down and just play with your children, play with them. Stay in the moment, slow down. Savour your tea. If you are a coffee person, savour your coffee. Slow down and actually taste the tea. In fact, some people’s tongue is seared because no matter how hot the tea is, they just down it. Slow down, and smell the aroma of the tea.

Prayer: Father, I ask for the grace to slow down and enjoy the pleasures You have blessed me with, help me take control of my life for the glory of Your Name, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!