By Lois E. Wilson
During infancy, over many things we have no control. Of course you can suck on your thumb or toe, babble, smile a little, soil your diaper, and cry. These can be automatic reactions to inside or outside stimuli. You are put into a crib, car seat, or playpen. Your location is not your choice.
Over their early years, children slowly begin to learn how to control themselves in physical areas. They roll over, sit up, crawl, and walk. They start doing meaningful speech and putting on their clothes without mother’s help.
They try to learn what is expected of them and how to respond correctly. They find if they have positive results, good things can happen. If they are not appropriate in their actions, there can be frowns, reprimands, or punishment.
Then they begin to spend time away from home. Through interactions at Sunday school, with playmates, elementary school friends and teachers, coaches, neighbors, and others they meet throughout their lives, they learn. I thought of this as remote learning coming from outside influences which they would control as they grew older.
One definition for the word “remote” is “having little connection with.” One day as I held the remote control for our TV, I thought the remote allows me to operate the device from a distance. The TV is the remote receiver, but it is not in control, I am.
The settings on the control tell me my choices:
On, Source, Light, Select, Channels, Right, Left, Stop, Start, Pause, Play, Volume, Mute, Latest, Fast Forward, Rewind, Record, Stop, Off, Exit.
At any age of responsibility, we have choices to make. Teens decide with whom, where to go, and what to do with their friends. We have our own talents, aspirations, interests, standards, and faith. These are usually factors in our life selections.
Apart from accidents or miracles, we proceed through each day making choices that affect our happiness and success. Some of our choices are bad. We may be out of control or a control freak. We may not like the selected channel. We pause and ask ourselves: Should I go right or left? Should I stop and rewind? Would another channel better fit my goals? Am I able to go fast forward to the latest career opportunity?
You look down at the remote in your hand—and assure yourself, “With God’s help I am in control and can make the right life decisions before I exit this world.”