This weekend my husband and I moved to the big city. It’s been chaotic living out of boxes; something as simple as putting together an outfit for the day becomes a challenge to overcome before traipsing out the door. Then, instead of my meager 15 minute commute, I now plan 45 minutes to an hour or more. Frankly, my innate desire for control is going haywire.

In most things, God seems to have a lesson for me. While I fail to listen to His promptings on a regular basis, this one seemed to smack me between the eyes. God wants to shape and mold me, and that includes my most stubborn of places like my desire for control. He’s regularly reminding me of this, yet without an actual game plan I ignore His wishes instead settling for my own comforts.

Now, I’m trapped in a vehicle for an hour each way and God may just be holding me hostage. All teasing aside, He’s already made a few points abundantly clear:

• Listen to the news
  God wants us to be aware of what is going on in the world around us and to have a heart for all people. The news is one way to get informed and take steps toward being involved. That can start with prayer.
• Change your attitude
  I’m notorious for staying in my grumpy place when things don’t go my way. It’s in those moments that God often wants us to remember that His ways are greater and things will work out just fine. Once we accept that truth it’s easier to look for the positives in the situation at hand.
• Pay attention
  So often God is speaking to us and we simply aren’t paying attention. Look around you and be aware of His presence in your day to day life.
• Pray
  When was the last time I actually made time to sit down and have a conversation with God? Well now I have an hour set aside every morning where I can work on that discipline and improve my relationship with Him. Hopefully it’ll also help me release my control issues, too!
• Relax
  Take some time to settle down and decompress before or after a long day. It’s okay to take time to do a little bit of nothing every now and then.

Are there areas in your life that God is calling you to reconsider? How can you apply these points or add your own?