How Do I Find Joy When I Feel Out of Control?

It is in our nature to want control. If only we could control our circumstances, our environment, or even the people around us, then we could be happy. Right?

But we can’t control everything. Sometimes the unplanned, unexpected, unwanted thing happens.

But what if true joy isn’t to be found in a perfectly arranged world where everything goes just how we planned?

Joy - true, deep, lasting joy - comes from knowing we’ve done our best with what we’ve got.

It’s in thanking God for the gift we’ve been given when we’re crouched over the toilet with a bout of morning sickness.

It’s in the surrender of suddenly planning a hospital birth for a breech baby, when you’d planned a water birth at home.

It’s in a whispered prayer for strength when you’re feeding your newborn for the fifth time tonight, having barely slept at all.

It’s in having patience for the times when it seems our spouse is blissfully unaware of our difficulties.

Learn what you can, work hard to do things well. But when it’s out of your control, sit back, re-group, and do the best you can with what you’ve got.

Reminder: Something can be out of your control, but that doesn't mean it's out of God's control.