Does it ever feel like you have little control over the things that affect your daily life? The stock market sells off, causing your account values to fall. Gas prices shoot up because of a Russian invasion. Inflation continues to shoot up because of supply chain issues caused by a pandemic. If we focus on all the stuff we have little to no control over, we can become overwhelmed with anxiety and hopelessness. Paul tells us in Philippians 4, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” When we start looking at things in our lives from that standpoint, it cuts out a lot of the items in this world we should be thinking about or focusing our time on.
In today’s world of social media and 24-hour news updates, we are slammed with all the wrong things to focus on. It is so in your face that it feels like we have no control over the on slot of things that come at us. But we do have some control. We have to focus on what those items are.
For example, there are only a few things you can control in your retirement planning. One, when you start saving. Two, how often and how consistent you contribute to your savings. Market return or investment performance is really out of your hands. You can pick your investments, but how those do over the long term will have little to do with your daily life.
The same is true for the world we live in. You will have very little control over many aspects of your life, but focusing on what you do have control over brings a sense of order and stability. God works all things together for good for those called according to His purpose, but that doesn’t mean easy and carefree. We all face hard times and adversity, some more than others, but taking control over what you have control over will allow you to stay more positive and focused.
