666) One of the good things about life is that we cannot control other people and one of the difficult things of life is, we cannot control people. It’s easy to sit back and not worry about others when they are treating you well, but what about when they choose to treat you poorly? In these circumstances, the temptation might be to shut them down in what they say and do. Using energy in attempts to do this very thing is a waste of time. The only thing we can do is control how we react to what others say and do.

In Exodus 4, Moses obeyed and told Pharaoh that God said to let His people go. Pharaoh’s response was quick and severe, ordering the Hebrew slaves to do more work and still produce the same number of bricks for his many projects. Thinking about this from a slave’s perspective, I would get angry, probably at Moses, the Pharaoh and God. I might even try to come up with some ways to manipulate those involved so this outrage might end. This would be a total waste of energy. The Pharaoh’s actions and words were his own and no one could change them. What the Israelites could control is their reaction to what Moses told them concerning God delivering them from slavery. This doesn’t mean that you like what is happening around you.

It seems like it’s in our nature to control others, but that will never bring productive results nor change the behavior of others.