If you take a close look at yourself and really think about it, you’ll probably realize that most of the anxiety and lack of peace in our lives comes one emotion – fear. And this fear comes from our ego. We want all the outcomes in life to be the way we think they should be. When they aren’t what we wanted or expected, we aren’t happy. Our will wasn’t done.
This type of thinking comes from our feeble attempts to play God. We aren’t gods, we are creatures. We’re but a cog in the universe that is a under God’s control. When we try to control things, we end up feeling uneasy, frustrated, anxious, and… well – out of control. But what can we do to change our way of thinking? What can we do to have real inner peace?
The peace I write of comes from God, but for our part – we must cooperate with his will and do two things. One is to let go of our ego and surrender. Realize that God’s in control and it’s not only OK to turn things over to him, it’s important for our emotional well being. We can’t even control the process of surrendering. We do our part by realizing we aren’t God and making a decision to let go of the things we aren’t in control of and letting God do His thing. It’s up to God when he allows this to thoroughly sink in and become a part of our natural thinking. But, until then, we put out the effort, ask for His help, and form habits of letting go.
Next, is faith. We trust that God is there for us and wants what’s best for us. When we truly believe that God has our best interests in mind, we can move forward and put detachment into practice. We can stop trying to control all of the things, people, and outcomes in our life and have faith that God will take care of it. We need only be concerned with the things that God has given us control over, such as how we think and act, and how we choose to interact with God and his creations.
When we surrender our ego and act in faith, God does the rest. With practice and Grace, we end up living happier, healthier lives. So take time to be grateful for your blessings, work on your own shortcomings, let God do the rest, and enjoy every minute of your day.
“What hurt could it do thee if thou wouldst let it pass and make no account of it? Could it even so much as pluck one hair from thy head?”
– Thomas a Kempis