“Confessions of

a Control Freak”

Week 1:

We can surrender our control

of a false self-image.

Dear brothers and sisters,

             Today we kick off a new fall series that is all about surrender. Think about it: we are all control freaks, in some way or another! “Surrender” is a word with many negative connotations, but in our relationship with God in faith, surrender is more than just a positive thing – when it comes to our faith, it is absolutely necessary. Unlike our previous series which involved concrete action steps each week, this series is going to be more spiritual.  We will look each week at a different way we all can be control freaks in our lives, and how to surrender more deeply to God. To kick off this series, we are going to look at our self-image. Do you carefully control and edit your image and profile on social media? Do you try to compete with your peers or members of your family in popularity or attention? This is not necessarily something done only by young people who are still seeking out their identity and self-worth. Moms, dads, grandparents, senior citizens, priests, can all get caught up in the “comparison trap” of how we’re measuring up with others in our peer group or social circle; and on top of that, we can all subtly look for approval or attention from others as a way to boost our own self-worth.