Give Up the Remote
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." - Proverbs 4:23
I was recently talking to a friend who was struggling through some painful relationship issues. After he finished sharing, I gave him a simple piece of advice: “Give them the remote.” Confused, he asked, “What do you mean?” I explained that much of the stress he was experiencing was because he insisted on holding the remote—trying to control everything in his life and the people around him.
He quickly responded, “But I need to have the remote! I don’t feel comfortable without it. If I give it to someone else, they’ll have all the control.” I told him, “Just because you give someone the remote doesn’t mean you have to give them the batteries. Your emotions are the batteries, and if you keep those, then no one can push your buttons.”
Here’s the truth for you: Life is unpredictable, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t control others or every situation you face. But you do have control over your emotions. You may not be able to stop people from trying to push your buttons, but when you keep the “batteries” (your emotional responses) they won’t have the power to trigger you. That’s part of our walk with Christ, learning to let go of the need to control everything and focusing on the work God is doing in us from the inside out.
When my mom used to bake pound cake, the smell was so good that I’d want to open the oven and grab a piece right away. But she had a process. She’d pull the cake out and stick a toothpick in it. If it came out with batter on it, she’d know it wasn’t ready, even if it looked perfect on the outside. The cake wasn’t finished yet.
Just like that cake, there’s no “toothpick test” for our faith journey. You might look like you’ve got it all together on the outside, but it’s the work God is doing on the inside that really matters. You’re still in progress. So, give up trying to control everything, and focus on letting God continue His work in you. Keep the batteries and let Him shape your response from the inside out.
I was recently talking to a friend who was struggling through some painful relationship issues. After he finished sharing, I gave him a simple piece of advice: “Give them the remote.” Confused, he asked, “What do you mean?” I explained that much of the stress he was experiencing was because he insisted on holding the remote—trying to control everything in his life and the people around him.
He quickly responded, “But I need to have the remote! I don’t feel comfortable without it. If I give it to someone else, they’ll have all the control.” I told him, “Just because you give someone the remote doesn’t mean you have to give them the batteries. Your emotions are the batteries, and if you keep those, then no one can push your buttons.”
Here’s the truth for you: Life is unpredictable, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t control others or every situation you face. But you do have control over your emotions. You may not be able to stop people from trying to push your buttons, but when you keep the “batteries” (your emotional responses) they won’t have the power to trigger you. That’s part of our walk with Christ, learning to let go of the need to control everything and focusing on the work God is doing in us from the inside out.
When my mom used to bake pound cake, the smell was so good that I’d want to open the oven and grab a piece right away. But she had a process. She’d pull the cake out and stick a toothpick in it. If it came out with batter on it, she’d know it wasn’t ready, even if it looked perfect on the outside. The cake wasn’t finished yet.
Just like that cake, there’s no “toothpick test” for our faith journey. You might look like you’ve got it all together on the outside, but it’s the work God is doing on the inside that really matters. You’re still in progress. So, give up trying to control everything, and focus on letting God continue His work in you. Keep the batteries and let Him shape your response from the inside out.
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