VISION FEB

It is true that mankind has become accustomed to the concept of control. The
obvious reason for this is because we were created to do just that. Genesis 1: 26
- 30 states that we were perfectly designed to have dominion over every living
thing over all the earth. It also states that we had to fill the earth and subdue it,
all part of our innateness to control our surroundings. In Genesis 2: 18 – 24 we
were even given the perfect helper to aid in this vocation of controlling and
regulating that which was given to us. This life partner not only shares our views
but they have also been blessed with maternal instincts which becomes a
motherly control in practice.

However, the concept of control has undergone many changes over time and we
have somehow lost track of the intended purpose of this God-given ability to
control. We now have the Internet, Facebook, Laptops, SUV’s, sports cars, fast
food chains offering home deliveries, pocket-sized cellular phones with e-mail
and built-in 12 mega-pixel cameras, mint-flavoured floss, and home cinemas. We
are the masters of our own universe. We have conquered our domains with flair,
and we as mankind stand tall above all the creatures on the earth. We have
created ways to cheat our way through most obstacles while transforming the
control of life into sheer convenience.

This was not the control God had in mind. My reasoning suggests a far more
spiritual form of control, rather than the physical. But, I guess one can only truly
understand control when we lose it. Most people detest the times when they are
robbed of control, or when they are caught up in situations where life spiral into
a series of events they couldn’t have predicted or are incapable of stopping.
When the power cuts out or a bird flies into the house or a taxi runs a red light.
Then there’s the neighbours Doberman jumping over the wall. Or what about the
open swimming pool gate that was supposed to be closed? If we were so in
control of our everyday surroundings, these things would never happen. Yet our
days are filled with moments beyond our control.

From a spiritual point of view we are to conquer these uncontrollable moments of

despair and uncertainty. So, what am I saying here? Am I suggesting we make it
our aim to control the aftermath of a traumatic incident or to control the
whirlwind of emotions after an uplifting event? Absolutely! This is where we get
to perform the practicality of control by taking the matter to God and to dissect
and deal with it. We pray, we discuss, we fast (if we are so inclined), we worship
our majestic Father and we conquer the uncontrollable.

Another way to define control is to look at the abuse of control. Analyzing the
abnormal use of any particular thing (like drugs or alcohol or even food), clearly
defines its intended use, be it for medicinal purposes or for the sole purpose of
sustainability. The abuse of our control makes up for most of the daily
newspaper. CEO’s destroy companies and entry-level employees embezzle
funds, men abuse their wives, parents abuse their children, children abuse their
parents, abused pets, producers pushing to escalate violence in films by abusing
their authority, yadda-yadda-yadda... The list goes on and on. So much so that
we now turn a blind eye to these bastardized concepts of control instead of
trying to understand where these examples had gone wrong.

In the sense of abuse, we are mislead by the power-hungry standards of the

world. We strive, we drive, we push and we demolish without considering the
implementation of ethics and brotherly love to our actions. Control was intended
as an attribute, a gift from God. Jesus, our purest example, came as flesh to
illustrate the essence of spiritual control and he manifested kingship with
humility. He ruled kingdoms and conquered death and applied self-control – yet
he was a humble man. The illustration of control, as personified by Christ, was
for our benefit, so that we might learn from it and apply it to our daily lives.

So if our control was intended to reach beyond the extremes of our immediate
reality, why do we still abuse our control when we fail to break beyond the here
and now? In the question also lies the answer. We are preoccupied with the here
and the now. We tend to focus more on our lives than we do our responsibilities.
Most of the time we are to lead by example. We have control over the type of
spiritual fruit we grow. The Bible says that by their fruit you shall know them
(Matthew 7: 16-20). It then stands to reason that the purity of our faith is
confirmed by our actions.

The reward of self-control holds instant rewards. By controlling our tongue

(James 1: 26), mind (Proverbs 29 : 11, 1 Peter 1: 13), and our members (Romans
7: 23, Matthew 5: 29), we lift ourselves above reproach from the Almighty.