Masters of Our Own Lives?

"A man who considers himself the master of his own life can never be humble, because he thinks that he has no obligation to anyone. The man who considers service to God to be the purpose of his life is always humble, because he feels that he has never fulfilled his obligations." Tolstoy

Isn't this the issue for all of us? We want to be the master of our own lives -- to be in control. We want to be self-sufficient. We want to be capable of doing whatever needs to be done to achieve success ourselves using our own smarts and resources.

As I work with people who are between jobs, I see how they are affected when they get laid off because of circumstances beyond their control. They recognize for the first time, or at least the first time in a long time, that they truly are not in control. They are not, after all, the master of their own lives. They talk about self esteem being low as a result.

The exciting thing to me about these circumstances is the spiritual growth that I often get to witness. It's amazing to see that as people recognize that they are not the masters of their own lives, that they begin to recognize the need for faith in and reliance upon a God who is the Master.

Seeing this frequently is helpful to me for two reasons:

1. I, like every other human, still struggle with wanting to be in control, wanting to be the master of my own life. I need to see regular reminders that none of us really are.

2. I need to be reminded that the best help I can offer people in transition is encouragement to rely more strongly on God, and to recognize that He is in control. This is counter to my natural tendency to give them advice based on helping them regain control of their lives -- best practices from the world of job searching.

I need to remember, "Seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33