Today's Sermon--God is in control.

I'm so glad I attend church. Today's sermon was just for me; only one of the major points of the sermon was "It's not about me; God is in control." Paradox, I know.
We are finishing a study of Jonah who was angry at the end of the story. He was mad at God for loving people that Jonah didn't think God should love. The major point that Jimmy brought out was that many of us have situations in our lives that may cause us to live with anger.
I don't think I have the nerve to voice my extreme anger at God because I grew up in an age that didn't teach that we could do that. I still had the vision of God that could strike me down if I crossed a line. I've been angry with God for not answering my prayers--you know those daily routine, rote prayers that say, "Protect my children, physically, spiritually, and emotionally." Looking at the big picture now, I see that Jason is the only one of my children that God is protecting. He is in heaven where absolutely nothing can harm him. It's the rest of us who are living in danger and need God's protection. I've been angry at Jason for not taking precautions--seatbelt and exhaustion--on the road.
Today's sermon spoke volumes to me. It went right along with the Sunday School lesson we studied. This world is not a place where we are supposed to feel comfortable. Sin came into this world and messed it up. Because of that, we live with sin--death, divorce, financial ruin, illness--all of these things hurt us and cause us to cry out to God. If we could only get beyond our self-pity and "me centered thinking," we would handle life's hardships much better.
God is in control of the salvation of my family and friends. If I could, I would accept Jesus for every one of them, but God is in control. I can only take care of my own relationship with him and hope that it shines brightly enough that others are influenced by it.