Pour yourself a cup of tea. Let's spend a few minutes with Jesus together.
I have a habit of organizing my pantry. Every now and then, I'll pull everything off the shelves, wipe them down, and put everything back in neat little rows. The labels all face forward. Baking supplies are together. Snacks have their own basket. Tea, of course, has a shelf all its own.
For about two days, it looks beautiful. Then life happens. Someone grabs a box and doesn't put it back where it belongs. Before long, my carefully arranged pantry looks lived in again.
Years ago, that would have bothered me more than I'd like to admit. Not because I love organized shelves. But because somewhere deep inside, order made me feel safe. If everything around me was under control, I felt like I could breathe.
As I was straightening the pantry one afternoon, I sensed the Lord quietly ask me, "Jenn, what are you really trying to organize?" That question stopped me in my tracks. Maybe it wasn't the pantry at all. Maybe it was my heart.
Proverbs 3:5–6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."
I've read these verses countless times. For years, I focused on the promise: "He will make your paths straight." But lately, Jesus has been drawing my attention to the first part. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Trust comes before direction. Surrender comes before clarity. God never asks me to understand everything before I follow Him. He simply asks me to trust Him.
Control is sneaky. It rarely introduces itself by name. Instead, it disguises itself as responsibility. Planning. Preparation. Being "on top of things." Now, hear me clearly — planning is a good thing. God is not against calendars, budgets, or thoughtful decisions.
The problem begins when I believe my peace depends on my ability to manage every outcome. I've learned that control often grows where trust has been wounded. When life has been unpredictable — when you've experienced loss, trauma, disappointment, or betrayal — trying to control everything can feel like protection.
But eventually, I realized something. Control is exhausting. It asks me to carry burdens Jesus never asked me to hold. The more tightly I grip everything, the more anxious I become.
Jesus has been teaching me that surrender isn't giving up. It's giving over. It's opening my hands and saying, "Father, You love the people I'm worried about even more than I do. You care about tomorrow more than I ever could. You are already at work in places I cannot see."
That doesn't make me passive. It makes me peaceful. Because I'm not the Savior. Jesus already has that job.
1. Where in my life am I holding on so tightly that my peace depends on the outcome?
2. Is there something I'm trying to control because I'm afraid of what will happen if I let go?
3. What would it look like to trust God's character more than my own ability to manage the situation?
Sit with these questions. Let the Holy Spirit gently uncover what He wants to heal.
Father, thank You for being trustworthy even when life feels uncertain. You have never asked me to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. Forgive me for trying to do what only You can do. Today I open my hands to You. The people I love, the situations I can't fix, the future I cannot see — I place them in Your care. Replace my striving with surrender and my anxiety with Your peace. Thank You that I can rest, not because everything is under my control, but because everything is under Yours. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Take a piece of paper and write down one situation you've been trying to control. Fold it in half and place it inside your Bible beside Proverbs 3:5–6. Each time you see it this week, pray one simple sentence: "Jesus, I trust You with what I cannot control."
Peace isn't found in having everything under control. It's found in knowing the One who is. May the Lord continue to form truth in the hidden places of your heart, because that's where purpose is born.
— Pastor Jenn Dafoe-Turner
Spiritual Midwife • Christian Life Coach • Author • Speaker