Have you ever felt that your life was completely out of your control? That circumstances, other people, time—everything but you—were controlling your life? As though you were being pushed over the brink?

Would you like to regain control of your life? You can. One who exercised extraordinary control and spiritual dominion—Christ Jesus—shows how.

Take, for example, the time Jesus was speaking in the synagogue in his hometown. He sensed that the people, thinking of him merely as "Joseph's son," were unready to recognize his authority as God's Son, and therefore unready to accept his spiritual power to heal the sick and save sinners. He said to them, "I assure you that no prophet is ever welcomed in his own country," and he cited examples of this in the Scriptures. "When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was furiously angry. They sprang to their feet and drove him right out of the town, taking him to the brow of the hill on which it was built, intending to hurl him down headlong."

Now, we might think that circumstances like these would certainly take away a person's control of his own life. But Jesus "walked straight through the whole crowd and went on his way" (J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, Luke 4:16-30).

How did Jesus do that? Well, we know, from his life and teachings, that Jesus made it his consistent practice to depend on God in all things, rather than on himself alone. In fact, he recognized God as the only authority—in his life and in everyone else's—an authority nothing and no one could ever overrule.

Jesus demonstrated control by acknowledging and yielding to God's control in every circumstance in which he found himself. He was the Way-shower, showing us that we, too, can demonstrate God's control—that circumstances, people, time, or anything else doesn't have to take control of our lives, or push us to the brink of disaster. We can depend on God, and experience His all-power.

Often, it's when we try to take command of things through our own efforts alone, without turning to God, that things get out of hand. But this can be remedied. We can turn to God now. Pray with a willingness to yield to His control. Turn to the Bible for inspiration and direction. Draw on the Science of Christ, which is explained in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

Learning of God through such prayer and study gives us a spiritual understanding of His loving nature and all-power. Then God's harmonious control becomes more and more evident in our thoughts and lives. We approach each facet of our experience with greater equanimity, wisdom, grace, and effective action. We see that physical conditions, persons, and things do not have authority over us (or anyone), and we find that we cannot be mentally pushed around or pulled down by them.

A common situation many of us face is this: A multitude of demands seem to be coming our way from a host of different directions. We feel pressed beyond our ability to meet our responsibilities—to a spouse, our parents, children, employer or employees, and on and on. Here is something that never fails to help me find peace and the ability to do whatever needs to be done at such times: giving top priority to prayer. Pausing mentally, even for just a moment, to acknowledge God's control of everyone puts things into proper perspective. Science and Health affirms: "No mortal mind has the might or right or wisdom to create or to destroy. All is under the control of the one Mind, even God" (p. 544).

Who's in control? God is. Understanding this enables each of us to walk "straight through the whole crowd" of life's pressures that would push us to believe that something other than God has authority. So, why not start right now to turn to God for guidance and to prove His power over all?

Barbara M. Vining
Contributing Editor