Owning Yourself

What are you responsible for? What is in your power and possession to control and therefore have ownership of? 

You can coerce, manipulate, intimidate, force, or even love people into doing what you want but at the end of the day, you cannot truly control what they do, what they think, how they feel, or what they say. You can control yourself though.

On the frustrating end, if we cannot control people and only control ourselves, this means that we can no longer blame people or life circumstances for how we feel and, more specifically, how we respond to those feelings. Therefore, we have a responsibility and an accountability to how we respond. We don’t get to blame other people for the words that come out of our mouths or the actions that come from our bodies. 

Finally, and most wonderfully, it means that no one controls you. Your body is yours, you get to fight for it, protect it, love it, and steward it. The same goes for your heart, mind, soul, words, and actions. They are not anyone else’s to take away, stab, manipulate, or disregard. They are yours to own, fight for, protect, and love. You get to be alive with the very uniqueness that God put inside of you, without limitations from others. Because these are all yours, they get to breath and sing the glory of God that He has placed inside of you in a way that no one else can. 

Take control. Respond well. Let the Glory of God shine forth from your Heart, your Mind, your Words, and your Actions.

(NOTE: This does not excuse abuse or pain other people have caused. Instead, it gives us the power to walk away from things that are not healthy, to be able to find healing, and to have strength to be good to ourselves.)