by Anna Haiar
Giving Up Control
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
“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.”
Proverbs 3:5–6 New International Version
As a parent, there is one lesson I seem to learn repeatedly: letting go of what I think should happen.
We have big dreams for our children, don’t we? When we first see that positive pregnancy test or hold our newborns for the first time, our imaginations run wild with hope. We dream of joyful milestones, smooth paths, success, and happiness for this precious life we’ve been entrusted with. Perhaps the dreams you have today aren’t for your children, but your own expectations and hopes of what life will look like.
Reality has a way of humbling us. Life rarely follows the script we write in our heads. Plans change. Disappointments hit. We struggle in ways we never saw coming. And suddenly, we find ourselves wrestling—not only with circumstances, but with God. This is where Proverbs 3:5–6 meets us in the thick of life. It reminds us that our understanding, no matter how well-intentioned or deeply felt, is limited. What we see in part, God sees in full.
Letting go doesn’t mean we stop caring or hoping for our dreams. It means we surrender the illusion of control and entrust our lives and our children’s lives into the hands of a God who loves them even more than we do. It means finding peace not in outcomes, but in obedience. Not in predictability, but in God’s presence.
Letting go is a daily act of trust. A daily invitation to release what we thought should happen, and lean instead on the One who holds the future—our children’s and our own—in His hands. When God is in control, we can rest. We can stop striving to make everything happen and trust that He’s already working things together for our good. Maybe you’re holding on to something today—a situation, a person, a dream, or a timeline. Maybe fear is making it hard to loosen your grip. But God is trustworthy. You can release what you’re carrying and know that He will carry you.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
