What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
James 4:1-2
Everyone of us faces external conflicts in life. We know that. We quarrel with the aunty at the mini-mart, we raise our voice at the colleague in the office or show our anger at the traffic. But what we often don't realize is that the real issue is internal. Every day we have to struggle to do things God's way, to either fulfill God's desires or our own.
But if you drill every internal battle down, you'll get to one word: control. As long as things are going our way, everything is great. As long as we can call the shots, we're fine. But as soon as someone, anyone, challenges that, we have some serious conflict. We will fight and scratch and claw until we get our way.
But ultimately, we can't control every situation or circumstance. Only God can. And He does. And when we realize that; when we admit that, and when we surrender to that truth, then we free ourselves up to understanding that he has our best in mind. And we won't wear ourselves or anyone else out by fighting, scratching and clawing to get what we want. Instead, we'll realize that God is and has everything we need. We rest in His sovereignity. We find a tranquality of spirit. We flow in His joy!
A Prayer for Today
Dear God, I know that I struggle with wanting to maintain control. And I realize that sometimes that desire for control causes me to fight and quarrel with the people around me. Help me to surrender control to you. Because then I will be free to live at peace with myself and the people in my life. And then I will truly find joy for my soul. In Jesus' name, Amen.
