780) I was in my 5th decade of life before I realized that the need to be in “control” of things is really the symptom of avoidance. I somehow got the idea that to control what pain may come my way, such as not getting close to others or getting another pet, I could avoid it. As many of you who are wise know, you cannot avoid the pain of this life and trying to control it, you’re making your world so small, you will suffer in the pain of isolation.
Psalm 49:10 reminds us that death is a fact of life in this world and, unfortunately, you cannot control or avoid it. The more you love, the more it hurts, but the choice not to love hurts even more. This is my challenge to you and myself, be brave and choose to love, anyway. It’s worth the pain that will come with it. This is the essence of who God is: God is love. It brought Him the greatest pain, the death of His Son, and yet, He did it anyway. Love is worth it.
