Control: It’s a Girl Thing

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have everything my own way. What it would be like to have steak and potatoes for every meal, shirely temples for every drink, and always get whatever I ask for. It sounds really intriguing. And sometimes I try to get it done.

That’s one of the biggest components of being a female: Control. We crave it. We seek it. We desperately desire it. We want things our way: right here right now. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, things don’t always happen like that.

This morning in Isaiah chapter 24, I read about the destruction of the earth. It seemed pretty crazy to begin with – people mourning, the mountains breaking open, massive catastrophic events, etc etc etc. I kind of had to rethink the entire Bible to figure out why judgement will come. It starts with Eve.

Alone, walking through the garden, Eve saw the fruit (what was she doing by the tree anyway?). She probably knew it was wrong, so started walking away. Suddenly the serpent enticed her to take a bite. He said she could be like God and know everything. Eve was tempted by ultimate power and control – she grabbed the bait and condemned herself and her husband to a life apart from Eden and God.

Because of Eve’s desire for control, her genes have passed on to us: her crazy female descendants. All through the Bible we see it: Delilah, Jezebel, Sapphira, etc. Therefore, the whole world has been influenced by the need for control, and even today, people struggle for world domination. The Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians/Medians, Romans, The Nazis, ISIS. When we want control, God is pushed to the side and we put ourselves on the big “ME” throne.

In the painting by Benjamin West above, I added an arrow to show the serpent leading Adam and Eve out of the garden. The control they desired wasn’t so great after all, was it?

Eve’s desire to “be like God” is exactly what we see in Isaiah chapter 14 when Lucifer is exiled out of heaven:

 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.

– Isaiah 14:13-15

The same control Eve craved is the same desire that got Lucifer kicked out of heaven. The same control gave us the 6500 different known languages and scattered everyone around the world. The same control hung Judas on the tree. The same control gave the Pharisees big heads.

It reminds me of Saruman in the Lord of the Rings.

 

Saruman is a great, wise, and powerful wizard that leads the White Council. However, after discovering the power of the One Ring, he seeks it out and builds an army of Uruk-hai Orcs for Sauron – until the control causes him to betray his new master. The control Saruman seeks causes him to betray his old friend Gandalf, the White Council, and Middle Earth. He craved the power to control all of the world and is utterly defeated by Gandalf (now Gandalf the White), The Kingdom of Rohan, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.

As females, we have a greater pull to becoming control freaks. We want power over our own “world” and sometimes won’t stop until we do.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely…” 

-John Dalberg-Acton

Ladies, we are control craving crazies! Our nature is to control all we want. But controlling all corrupts relationships, families, academics, etc. We have to let Jesus take the wheel and control our lives for us. He has to drive our car for our lives and use the controls in the best way for us possible. Even if we don’t see it.

Love and Peace,

Emily 🙂

P.S. Pattern just came in for Legolas – Just need to buy some fabric with a gift card from Christmas!!

P.P.S. My birthday is tomorrow!!! 14!!! 🙂