LETTING GO OF CONTROL
A Skiing/Snowboarding Devotional
Want to know the fastest way to eat snow? Try to control every single movement down the mountain. Beginners do this all the time – they're so terrified of falling that they fight the mountain every inch of the way. Knees locked, shoulders tense, death grip on the poles. They look like they're wrestling a bear instead of skiing.
Meanwhile, the pros make it look effortless. They're not fighting gravity; they're dancing with it. They lean into turns, trust their edges, and let the mountain carry them. Counter-intuitively, the more they let go of rigid control, the more control they actually have.
Here's the thing that messes with our heads: letting go doesn't mean being reckless. Those expert skiers aren't out of control – they're in flow. They've learned to work with forces bigger than themselves instead of against them.
Life's a lot like skiing down a mountain. We can white-knuckle our way through, trying to control every variable, or we can learn to trust and flow. The problem is, our culture sells us the illusion that we're in control of everything. Plan harder! Work smarter! Leave nothing to chance!
But Jesus taught something different. In Matthew 6:26-27, he points to birds and says, "Look at them – they don't stress about tomorrow, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than birds? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" And in Jeremiah 29:11, God reminds us, "For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future."
He's not promoting laziness; he's suggesting there's a better way to navigate life than constant anxiety about control.
This Week's Challenge: Pick one thing you've been trying to control that's honestly outside your control (someone else's choices, the outcome of a situation, etc.). Practice "letting go" by focusing on what you can control – your response, your attitude, your actions – and trusting God with the rest.
Questions for Reflection:
What's the difference between being responsible and trying to control everything? Where do you tend to cross that line?
Think of a situation where you've been "white-knuckling" it lately. What would it look like to trust and flow instead of fight?
What makes it hard for you to trust that God might have things under control, even when you can't see the whole picture?
Sometimes the best way to stay in control is to let go.