Control Problems | Crosstraining 3.12.15

Philippians 4:6-7 Over the course of my life, I’ve struggled, like many people, with my weight going up and down. I will gain a whole bunch of weight, drop a significant amount, and then gain some back. I’ve gone through several cycles of this over the course of the last few years. I’ve learned alot through this experience, but one of the most valuable things I’ve learned is where my focus should be. In the past, I’ve spent so much time focusing on the number on the scale that I forget why I want to lose the weight to begin with – to be healthier. Weight loss goals have been helpful, but I’ve found that I’m much more successful when my focus isn’t on trying to lose a certain number of pounds but when it’s on the opportunity I have that day to live healthier. We would all love to be able to fix every single problem in every little aspect of our life, but that’s just not realistic. Even though it’s completely absurd to think we can make everything in our life exactly the way we want it, it still doesn’t stop us from trying to control every detail of our life. We stress out and worry about all these things because we can’t control them. Sooner or later, though, we all learn that we can’t fix everything. At some point, we have to change our focus instead of trying to fix our problem. What’s your end goal for your life? Whatever it is, like becoming healthier, getting there starts with what you do today. You can either focus on what you can’t control today, or you can do what you can do and trust God with the results. A great quote to live by is “Work like it depends on you, but pray like it depends on God.” What this means is that you do what you can do and control what you can control, but you give the rest, everything else, over to God for Him to control. You may not be able to fix every problem in your life, but you can trust the One who can help you through them. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:

1. What was the best part of your day?
2. What was the toughest part of your day?
3. Where did you mess up today?
4. Where did you see God today?

Reflect: If a friend told you that someone said they should “give their problem over to God,” but they didn’t know what that meant, how would you explain it to them? Pray: Practice “giving your problems to God” in your prayer time today. Give over something you’ve been trying to control to Him today. READ THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT: Today’s Reading: Hebrews 5]]>