Revelations 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Control is defined one way as ‘The power to manage or restrain or cause things to happen as intended.’ Some thrive when every variable is under predictable. I attended an all boys high school and I love my school to bits. If I were to choose again, my option would not change. This is not only because of the the academic and spiritual formation, but also for the opportunity to encounter and “learn others”.
One thing I can say for a fact is at a point in time, the more the institution attempted to take control over every situation, the more variables they were faced with. Whether it was to apply more inventive reprimands, increase heights of walls, or the addition of more “dont’s” to the prospectus, students simply got better. First at adapting, then working round any changes.
That is how the will of man is designed – it was intended to have the freedom to choose. Hence, in Kingdom matters, the words ‘surrender to’ is preferred to ‘control’ because choice or consent has to be in place for any real control to stay intact without resistance.
Whenever the quest for ‘absolute control’ over people, things and systems dominates any space, resistance and rebellion become common themes. Simply put, any quest for ‘absolute control’ sponsors ingenious levels of rebellion.
That is why Jesus stands at the door of our hearts knocking until we open up : he seeks ‘freely yielded control’ – that is surrender.
#sly
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