Learning to live in the Kingdom of God
One of my family's summer traditions is to go out on Sundays to have a picnic dinner at a nearby park. Normally we drive to whatever park we decide to visit, however, this past Sunday, the park we wanted to go to was close enough that my parents decided that we would walk there instead. When I learned of this decision, I was filled with a sense of irrational fear and panic. I was caught off-guard. Why did this simple change of plans have such a dramatic effect on me? As I have thought about it more, I have come to believe the roots of this incident have a lot to do with the habits of my thinking that God is trying to address during this season of life. I am, by nature, a very routine-oriented person. I like to have events happen in a certain way, at a certain time. When this doesn't happen, my safety feels threatened, and this feeling manifests itself in fear and anger. I feel the need to control my circumstances...