You Control Your Future

“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:38-42



One of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to learn was how to swim. It wasn’t getting into the water – I loved that. It wasn’t wading out into the deep water – I liked that too. But to learn to swim, you have to be willing to lift your feet off the ground and lose control so that your body can float. Every time I’d raise one foot to try, I’d tilt sideways and feel as thought I was going over on my back and drowning. If I lifted both, I’d panic because at first my body would drop deeper into the water, and I felt as if I were going under. The key was being able to lose control and trust the water to float me.

Martha had control issues as well. As she and her sister, Mary, had welcomed Jesus into their house. Mary was content to just drop all the chores that should have been done to welcome a stranger into your house. She wasn’t pouring the wine, setting the table, or baking the bread. Martha, on the other hand, wanted to control the situation. She wanted to be sure everything was just right! She wanted to bake the best bread, fry the best fish, set out clean dishes, sweep the house, and have everything just right for Jesus. So when she saw Mary enjoying just being in the presence of Jesus, she didn’t understand, and “ratted her out” to Jesus. If Martha had been able to relinquish control over the situation, she could have had a wonderful worship experience at the foot of Jesus. Yet, she let her own priorities overrule those Jesus had for her.

We often do the same thing. When we feel God’s presence and His move in our life we sometimes fear following Him. Following His plan instead of ours will lead us into uncharted waters, and we want to be captain of our own ship. Yet, by not allowing God to take control, we bypass the paradise in life that He longs to give us.

God will never hurt you. You can trust Him in all situations. Wade into the waters, and lift up your feet and let Him determine your future. Lift both feet, and give him full control.