CCC 27-4_LR 1

PASTORAL CARE

RECLAIMING CONTROL FROM FEAR Let Love Lead:

w We all want to feel in control—that’s human. We want to know we are safe, that tomorrow is predictable, and that our efforts will lead to the outcomes we hope for. However, life often does not work that way. Take traffic, for instance. You are minding your own business, someone cuts you off, and before you know it, you are reacting in a way that surprises even you. Why? Because you have lost control. Maybe you have even got ten so angry that you flipped someone off (no judgment, you are not alone). Although we do not like it when con trol is stripped from us, what if I told you that fear often

Naeem Fazal

disguises itself as control? It masquerades as wisdom, caution, and discernment, but it is a leash, and too many of us are on the wrong end. Years ago, my wife and I went on a cruise with our tod dler, Asher. In our effort to keep him safe and ourselves sane, we put a leash on him—yes, one of those back pack-style leashes. It was cute and practical, giving him the illusion of freedom. However, at the end of the day, we controlled the direction he walked. Fear does the same. It gives us the illusion of control while dragging us in direc tions we never meant to go.

28 Christian Counseling Connection