A List of Items You Can Control
- Your Mind.
- .
- ..
- …
- ….
We love the idea of controlling lots of things. Any things! The more we control, the experts advise us, the more secure we truly are. Supposedly, control equals safety, position, prestige, maybe even happiness.
A couple of years ago I spent some time traveling down the Amazon River throughout the jungle territories of Peru. I encountered some of the most spectacular people. The small tribes that I was able to interact with had very little. There were the malnourished chickens running down the streets, the small gardens begging for pesticides, the homemade kayaks floating in the river, and the clay homes lining the dry, dusty, dirt trails. These Peruvians lives were composed of fishing the river, caring for their children, education, cleaning their homes, and taking care of one another. There were no power lines, no Macs, no free Wi-fi access points, no Starbucks, no grocery stores, no Blackberries, no modern technologies or amenities. They were the happiest and most content people that I have ever met. How is this possible? How can someone have so little–control so little–and still live a happy life?
The tribal Peruvians understood a concept that I too often forget: The list of items that you can genuinely control is short, and ultimately, every item on that list leads back to the mind. If there is one thing in life that you can control, it’s your mind. The Peruvians understood that regardless of what they could or could not control, they could always keep their minds in check. They could choose to be content. They didn’t dwell on what they didn’t have control of, rather, they took charge of what they could control. They took captive their thoughts, took control of their minds. They knew that controlling more didn’t guarantee happiness.
If the mind is the baseline, fundamentally controllable aspect of your life, let’s make sure that we actually do control it.
1 Comment
It seems like the more we think we control something, the more we want to control. It’s hard sometimes to remember who really is in control.No matter what we think we control,it is good to acknowledge that God has and always will have the final say.Let Him control and we can be His helper.