Monday, October 13, 2008 - Confessions of a Control Freak
I have to confess that I am–or I can be–a control freak!
What is a control freak?
The dictionary defines a freak as “a person who has withdrawn from normal, rational behavior and activities to pursue one interest or obsession.” So when we talk about a control freak, we’re talking about a person who has gone beyond the normal rational desire of most people to have some control in their lives.
Another definition is: ”Control freaks are people who care more than you do about something and won’t stop at being pushy to get their way.”
You may not be a control freak in every area of your life, but only in certain areas where you care more about something than others do. It may be the way your scrambled eggs are prepared, the way someone answers the phone at work, the way you line your shoes up in the closet–anything you can imagine. If you care more than others do about that thing and you’re willing to be pushy and obstinate and vocal about it, then you’re a control freak. You know, if you think of it that way, most everybody is a Control Freak some of the time.
A certified control freak–one who cares about everything more than others do and wants to be in control of everything and everyone–can be a scary person! This person is not happy until and unless she feels that she has her life under her control in every area.
So, on the continuum of control freaks, a person can go from very mild/very seldom to very severe/all the time! Where do you think you are on this spectrum? I probably skew toward the severe end, but having recognized these tendencies, I’ve begun praying about them. As Christians, our goal should be to be a control freak–but one who is controlled by God’s Spirit in every area of our lives.
Are you the right kind of control freak?
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