Control the Controllable

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” - Deuteronomy 31:8


Have you ever tried to control something that you just can’t control? You do everything you can to stop it or change it; you manipulate the circumstances and the people within the situation, but no matter what you do, you just can’t control the situation. If you had someone counseling you, they would call this the responsibility boundary.

I call it, control your controllables. You can only control the controllable. You can’t make people like you. You can’t make people think like you. You can’t make people do certain things. And oftentimes, you can’t even change their opinion. But this is not your responsibility. The boundary of your responsibility starts and stops with YOU.

God does not ask you to control others. He doesn’t ask you to control your friends, your spouse, your children, your brother or sister, your co-worker, your teammate, your coach, none of them. He only expects you to control your own thoughts, your own words, and your own actions.

Some people carry guilt for decisions other people have made. Maybe you can relate to this. You take responsibility because you have influenced them. They have watched you and were just following your example, and maybe it turned out a little worse for them. Or perhaps they made a decision because they were frustrated with you, in an argument with you, or wanted to “stick it to you.”

Maybe the result did not turn out well, and something bad happened to them, and now you feel guilty. You want to take responsibility. I am here to take tell you today that God does not want you to feel the guilt you are feeling. Every individual makes their own decisions. They are responsible for the choices they have made. You cannot make those decisions for them.

You are not responsible. Control the controllable. If you have been carrying the burden or the guilt of someone else’s mistake, it is time to let go. It is time to remember that there are some things you just cannot control. And God does not expect you to control those things. Control the controllable!