Death by Suburb - Control

To clarfiy on the previous post bashing married couples with 2.5 children, one dog, and a home with a well-manicured lawn, it might be prudent to reiterate the fact that the author of Death by Suburb is not actually targeting suburbs (and neither am I). He is targeting the image of the "perfect" American lifestyle that directly conflicts with many Christian ideals.

In the pursuit of our current way of living, many of us have lost touch with the purpose of life itself. One example of this is control. In the worlds we create for ourselves, we desire orderliness and functionality. We have calendars to control our day, we have calendars to control our diets, we have logs to control our exercise—the list goes on. It is naturally difficult to invite in the holy spirit, the mystery of faith, and our own interaction with an intangible God when it is clearly the opposite of what we strive for in the rest of our lives.

As Goetz points out, "true spirituality is the opposite of control." The irony is that in order to have the perfect spiritual life many of us desire, we have to relinquish control of our lives to God. In order to give up control, we have allow God to speak and work in our lives in unexpected ways. (If we are busy maintaining control, we won't be open to the possibility of the still, small voice of God.) Stillness, prayer, and physical retreat from our worldly surroundings are all ways to begin the long, slow process of giving up control. Eventually, we will come to realize that we have never been in control. Our well-maintained, picture perfect lives are just a facade—covering up something much bigger and much more exciting.