[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fadvice-for-control-freaks":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fadvice-for-control-freaks-surround":57},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":40,"date":41,"description":17,"extension":42,"image":43,"meta":44,"minRead":45,"navigation":46,"path":47,"postType":48,"publication":49,"publicationUrl":43,"seo":50,"stem":51,"topics":52,"__hash__":56},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fadvice-for-control-freaks.md","Advice for Control Freaks",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Matthew","Mark",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":36},"minimark",[14,18,21,24,27,30,33],[15,16,17],"p",{},"Are you a control freak? It’s normal to control our own schedule and personal space, but are you a person who likes to control others too? Do you hate sitting in the passenger seat because you want to be the one behind the wheel? Do you criticize others’ decisions because your way surely would have been better? Do you wish you could re-word the Serenity Prayer to read, “Lord, help me to change the things I cannot accept, and give others the wisdom to let me have my own way”?",[15,19,20],{},"If you are a control freak (and most of us are, to some extent), then you will find Jesus’ parables quite challenging, because in the parables it’s a common theme that we are not in control and we need to trust God.",[15,22,23],{},"The farmer sows his seed and the preacher is responsible to proclaim God’s Word, but neither the farmer nor the preacher can fully determine the outcome. The results depend on the condition of the soil and the heart of the hearer. Good soils and good souls eventually produce fruit, but the sower can’t control all the conditions.",[15,25,26],{},"Another farmer sows good seed in his field, but under cover of darkness an enemy plants weeds among the wheat, so the farmer waits until it’s time to harvest the crop, discard the weeds, and bring the wheat into the barn. This parable illustrates how God’s people (“the sons of the kingdom”) and “the sons of the evil one” are intermingled here on earth, but at the end of time the Lord and his angels will sort everyone out and divide the saved from the lost. This is a helpful parable for anyone who feels frustrated by the flaws and phoniness in the church. The control freak in us wants to dive in and separate the good guys from the bad guys, but while personal responsibility and church discipline are within our control, final judgment is the Lord’s prerogative, not ours.",[15,28,29],{},"The tiny mustard seed grows into a sizeable tree, not by human manipulation but because of the laws of God. It’s like the seed in another parable, which sprouts and grows even though the farmer “does not know how” (Mark 4:26-29). A lost sheep wanders away from the flock and relies on the searching shepherd to bring it home. A servant owes millions of dollars and relies on the king’s mercy to forgive his debt. Vineyard workers hired at different times during the day shouldn’t envy what other workers get paid, for the vineyard owner has the right to do whatever he wants with his own money. The guests at a wedding banquet cannot control when the bridegroom will arrive, but the wise ones come prepared with extra oil in their lamps.",[15,31,32],{},"And then there’s the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-31). A father tells his two sons to work in the family vineyard. One says, “I won’t go,” but later changes his mind and goes to work. The other son says, “I will go,” but busies himself with other things and never works in the vineyard. Jesus asks, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” His listeners give the obvious answer: “The first.”",[15,34,35],{},"There are many things in life we cannot control, but we can control our response to the Father’s instructions. We can choose to trust and obey. Even if we told God “no” in the past, we can make a different choice today. We can slide over to the passenger seat and let the Father take the wheel.",{"title":37,"searchDepth":38,"depth":38,"links":39},"",2,[],"Another Look","2010-03-07","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fadvice-for-control-freaks","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Fadvice-for-control-freaks",[53,54,55],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Spiritual Formation","tn110LuDvGPSYIzjDvRe52TJ76QNFcmppqxdULwun-w",[58,63],{"title":59,"path":60,"stem":61,"description":62,"children":-1},"Adopting a Posture of Grace","\u002Farticles\u002Fadopting-a-posture-of-grace","articles\u002Fadopting-a-posture-of-grace","When I was a boy my parents told me, “Sit up straight. Don’t slouch.” It was wise advice. Physically, good posture improves blood flow and fends off back pain. Socially, it communicates alertness and confidence.",{"title":64,"path":65,"stem":66,"description":67,"children":-1},"After the Struggle, Dawn","\u002Farticles\u002Fafter-the-struggle-dawn","articles\u002Fafter-the-struggle-dawn","Years ago my brothers and I were wrestling in my room. Somehow the three of us got tangled up and fell in a heap on the bed. The strain proved too much for the old bed, and the wooden bed-frame split right down the side. My dad was so angry with us, he was still mad when my brothers got into their cars and drove back to college!"]