When We Forget Who is Really In Control... A Five Minute Friday post

So... I think we have all forgotten this one at some point (like... in the last few weeks or more, right?)  You know the drill...

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: CONTROL

{GO}

This world, man... 

It feels like it's spinning out of control, right?

I mean... people all around the world seem to have lost their ever lovin' minds and maybe it's just me, but I don't think it takes a TON of discernment to see (and feel and give in to) the Spirit of Fear that is wreaking havoc in the earth today.

It's almost as if someone -thing has been unleashed!

Things are getting hot up in here and it's cray cray how Hate and Anger and Woundedness are coming up alongside Fear and having their way with our hearts and minds.

So in an attempt to remember how to breathe... and to remind myself who is really in charge around here anyway...

I unplugged a bit and stepped away from the screens and the screaming... (read:#loudfont)

I spent some time just sitting... in the quiet.  As in - no noise... no music, no TV, no radio, no distractions... no mindless thoughts wandering all over the place, giving over to worry... no making mental lists or letting fear boss me 
around... and it was Divine!

I highly recommend it!

Listen --I'm not about to get political here... I guess when it comes to discussing politics on my blog, I'm like my parents' generation talking about their religion. 

It's private... and none of your business, really. 

But in trying to put my OneWord into practice, I sat in silence... soaking in His Presence that is always, always saturated with Peace. 

And that is when I remembered... 
He is the Prince of Peace and the King of the World (for real!) and I may not understand it all... but it comes down to trust. 

I trust that as much as WE may be fa-reaking out down here... nothing is out of His reach. Nothing shocks or surprises Him! 

He is a redeeming God and a good, good Father and He is well-aware of the mess that is going on... that's why He sent the Messiah. 

The answer has already come... His name is (still) Jesus!

And so I embrace a slower pace... and I remember how to pray. How to wait... how to pray through a thing like in the olden days when we knew the answer was coming - but we also knew the world isn't instant and we are not the boss of it!

Not us... not them.

That is the part in all of this that has caused me to grieve the most: The "Us" and the "Them" that is widening the divide and not bridging the gap!

It's not that I assume one side can win the other one over and eventually we will all be the same.  We won't. Ever.  We were made to be different and when we remember that embracing our differences is the starting place for learning something new... well - we do better.  We get better... we grow and LIFE expands instead of --well, the opposite of that.

We learn about ourselves and each other and there will just always be things we disagree on. But all the yelling and name calling and hating and twisting of truths...(on both 'sides'!) ...y'all --it's doing no good.

Common Ground.  
  We have it... it's just that we forgot.

Unity is our call... and the One who is REALLY in control? He's got this!  

He tells us Himself, Do Not Be Afraid!

The only one winning lately is the one who uses Fear as a weapon and --well, he's already been defeated. 

...it's just sometimes, we forget!

{STOP}

I know... this can sound so Kumbaya, right? Like - extremely passive and non-active.  Of course we need to take action and go out and be the change. 

We need to vote and speak up for Truth, and make the small steps to bridge the gaps in our own neighborhoods... in our cities and churches.  It starts small - and then grows and reaches out from there.  

But it has felt a lot like bombing and destruction, rather than building and demonstration.

We, as Christ followers, are called to demonstrate... yes.  
But we're called to demonstrate His Love.

His Love... even when mine is lacking...
His never is! 

His love "never gives up. His love cares more for others than for self... it doesn’t want what it doesn’t have... it doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end." (1Cor13 The Message)

And let's remember His Love always loves everyone... 
His Grace is Amazing and always unmerited... 
His Mercy is new EVERY morning... 
and when this world feels like it is spinning out of control, He is the one who holds this spinning world right into place!*

* - Thanks Susan! I love that thought!

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about: "CONTROL"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer community linked below:

#FreshMarketFriday...

Kelly Chripczuk  for #SmallWonders 

Barbie Swihart for #Glimpsesofhisbeauty