He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgmentandpersonal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]2 Timothy 1:7b
I enjoy being a passenger. I love to be driven so I can relax and enjoy the view, but I know a lot of people who hate to be driven. They sit in the passenger seat pressing the phantom break pedal, sucking in their breath if they think the driver is getting too close to the car ahead and ending up exhausted at the end of the journey.
It’s all about trust – if we don’t trust the driver we can’t relax. There is really nothing we can do about the situation but we still try even though our effort is pretty useless.
Sometimes we feel that our circumstances are like that driver – we are in the passenger seat and our lives are out of control, we are powerless to change what is happening and it’s incredibly stressful. God turns that response on its head – no matter what the circumstance He is control. His Holy Spirit can and will give us power to overcome – so that we can be calm, well balanced and self controlled. Outwardly we may feel nothing is changing but our reaction to it can be completely changed – transformative change that refreshes and renews us, and sometimes even allows us to enjoy the view!