Asserting Control

I saw a man with no arms mowing the grass today. I am serious, as I was driving, there he was, on the side of the road, working at his job and mowing the grass, without the benefit of arms. The site was so striking that it got me thinking about the things in life that we allow to limit what we do. Seems as if we regularly make statements or decision about what we can and can’t do in life without ever really finding out.

The complaints come my ways all of the time. I guess it goes with the territory, but they do become excessive some times. People are unhappy in their marriages. They are unhappy with their jobs. They are unhappy about themselves. I find that the people who complain the most, are the people who do the least to change what it is they complain about. People offer suggestions for ways the church needs to go, new ministries they need, or changes to the existing ones, all the time. What is striking is that the ones who are actually trying to make things better, they don’t complain about what they see around them. They make suggestions, they might dream about something better, but mainly they don’t have time because they are working to hard to change or impact that thing they love.

There is a direct correlation between satisfaction in life and the effort we put into being satisfied. Paul tells us in Philippians 4 that he has learned to be content in every situation. We should all learn from Paul, because when he says every situation, he means it. He was stoned, ship wrecked, bitten by a poisonous snake, and thrown in prison. And yet he was content. Why? Paul knew what was important to him, he understood his calling, and he lived his life to fulfill it. Whatever else happened, he could live with it.

So if you find yourself complaining, think about the lawn mowing man. I don’t know his story, I don’t know how he views life, but at least he was out there, doing his part, and not accepting the limitations that others might put on him. If you are not content at work do something about it. Either learn to be content, make work a better place, or get a new job. Just don’t spend your life wasting away at something and being bitter about it. If you marriage stinks, fix it. No marriage is beyond repair. And start with yourself, guaranteed, part of the problem is with you. If you don’t feel close to God, spend time with God. Make it a habit, try something new, worship in a different way, read a different part of the Bible, meditate, pray, journal, just  don’t sit there and complain about it and act as if God isn’t interesting, or at least interested in you.

A good friend said to me the other day, “The only thing I can control in my life is how I react to the things I can’t control.” That is true. We can’t predetermine the paths of our lives, but we are always in control of our response, our attitude, and our outlook. If your life is going the way you want, change your attitude, change your path, and most of all change your complaints. Look for things to be thankful for. Hey, at least you have your arms.