Trust the Journey

Let go. The more you try to control things the more you suffer. This is what my vacation and kids are teaching me.

When I was in Europe a while back, I made a conscious effort to let the trip play out as it would. There were many times I let things go against my desire to try and control things. Interestingly enough things worked out better than I could have hoped fir.

For example, on the last day there we were running late to the airport and no taxis were in sight. At first my anxiety level shot up and then something inside of me said; “Trust the journey. It will never fail you.” Sure enough when we arrived at the airport our flight was delayed. I could have spent the morning annoyed and upset, but instead I was at peace and enjoyed some time studying the architecture of the airport in Paris.

This week has been similar, but a little more difficult. The reason is my kids are with me and my natural tendency as a parent is to try and control the environment. I think it’s my desire to protect my kids that drives this. I worry they may get hurt, not have a good time, not have enough to eat, grow up to be delinquents, etc… When I try to control things I end up being the cause of the miserable time I was trying to avoid in the first place. So I’m letting go and trusting the journey will never fail them too.

This does not mean I am not aware and vigilant. It just means I realize I am not God. I am their dad and I can only do the best I can to direct, guide, and protect them. Most importantly I need to ease up and love them without condition (as I write this my 2-year-old daughter is smacking me in the head to go to the beach).

Let go. That is today’s lesson. Control is an illusion. Something you actually never have. Replace it with trust. Trust in a God who loves you and will never fail you. Trust in the journey called your life. God gave it you and He will see you through it.

Here’s a song to help you get started.