I don’t know about you, but I love to do things my way! I love to know what to expect and have life fall into place and meet my expectations.
I love feeling like things and circumstances are in control – or that I am. And honestly, in some circumstances I need to be in control, but then there are those times when I need to let it go and trust God with the outcome.
My friend Karen Ehman is a self-professed recovering control-freak. I love that about her! She’s joining me today to talk about her new book, Let.It.Go. Karen is my oh-so amazing-friend and ministry teammate with Proverbs 31 Ministries. She’s also the wife of one very wonderful guy (he helped move furniture and a huge wall hanging at my house not too long ago}! She’s also the mom of 3 great kids, a national speaker and 4-time author. Here’s a little about her new book and how you can win a copy!
Karen’s book Let.It.Go. will empower you to:
- Take control of your schedule yet welcome interruptions from God
- Draw the line between mothering and micromanaging
- Influence your husband instead of manipulating him
- Learn to control your emotions when you can’t control the circumstances
- Stop pursuing the appearance of perfection and start pursuing the person of God
*A companion 6 week dvd and Bible study guide is also available.
I had the chance to interview Karen about this new project. Here is what she had to say:
Karen, tell us a little about why you wrote this book. Are you a control freak?
Ummm….yeah! What woman isn’t about at least some aspect of life? We have so many areas that we must be in charge of—at home, at work, in the church and community. What happens is that we let our strengths of multi-tasking and getting jobs done morph into a weakness of being controlling.
So, are you saying controlling can actually be needed at times?
Of course we must control our homes and schedules and such. We should work with diligence and excellence. What we have to be careful of is going from being conscientious to being controlling. Being conscientious is doing a job well. Being controlling is trying to manipulate the outcome. There is a difference and we know deep down inside when we’ve crossed that line. This book helps women determine how to control what they should, trust God with what they can’t, and most importantly, how to decide which one is which!
What are some areas you cover in the book where women try to run the show?
We try to be in control of our homes, our schedules, our kids, our husbands, our circumstances, others’ opinions of us…..the list is long!
So what is at the root of why we women control?
We control because we don’t trust God. We think we know better than Him just what is best for us. It is as old as the garden of Eden. Well, guess what? God called and He’d like his job back!!
The holidays are coming up. Do they bring out the control freak tendencies in women?
Oh yes….in fact. One whole chapter of the book is about my friend Lisa Whelchel daring me five years ago to not make any decisions for a whole three weeks RIGHT AT THE HOLIDAYS!! It was painful. And actually, in the end, wonderful. I think this topic is so important that I’ve written a free five day resource for women dealing with the holidays called From Chaos to Calm: The LET. IT. GO. Christmas Challenge. Your readers can sign up for it here.
What is your prayer for the woman who reads your book?
I pray that through learning to relinquish control and let go of the reins, she will be able to grab hold of her faith. That her relationship with God will strengthen as she learns to stop trying to fix outcomes and get her own way but seeks His perfect will for her life—and the lives of her loved ones—instead.
Thank you so much Karen!! I’m so excited about your book!
Enter to WIN: Click “Share your Thoughts” below this post and let us know why you’d like to win 2 copies of Karen’s new book, Let.It.Go. as well as a Starbucks gift card! Also, share on Twitter, Facebook and via email and link back to today’s post and then leave another comment for a second chance to win! {I’ll be announcing last week’s winner in another post shortly>}
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I am excited about this book. I know that I need to let things go and quit trying to control.
I can’t wait to read this book! I have heard nothing but good things about it and I’ve been told I’m pretty controlling myself which is a trait I would like to correct (or at least harness for good purposes only)!
Wow. Great stuff I wish I realized a long time ago but God can take our good intentions and work them out for His glory. He is in control… if we let Him be.
I think I actually need a copy for almost every woman I know! ;0) Most of all myself! God is still wrestling with me over my control issues. I’m a work in progress.
God has answered my prayers. I have been over controlling of my husband and family for many years. I learned this from my mother. If I am in control, then I do not need to worry about any surprises that I have to deal with….. well I’ve learned this is not true!! Since learning recently of my husbands unfaithfulness, I have been learning how to be a good wife, not controlling him to get my way. Our oldest daughter was just married, and I want to be a better example to her of how to be a loving, influencial wife, not an overbearing control freak! I am hungry to learn how God wants me to change and be a godly wife and mother. God seems to provide for us the resources that we are yearning for to learn how to do things His ways. This book must have been written specifically for me.
I would like to win this book so that I can really let go of my perfectionistic and controlling ways. I would like to be free from control in order to fully rely and trust God.
I have learned over the years – the hard way – to let God have control and to step back. It is still a very big struggle that I continue to pray about. I am doing lots better and in return feel lots better and a lot more relaxed. God is GOOD!
I struggle with being a control freak, perfectionist who thinks I am in complete charge of my life and my family, and have a dear friend who deals with these same struggles. I would love to win copies of the book for she and I – plus we are both big Starbucks fans, so we could discuss what we’ve learned over coffee! 🙂
I have to admit I am a major control freak except when it come to our finances, I leave all that to my better half! but that’s another book I’m sure. Every year as the holidays approach I feel a little anxiety coming on. This season I’ve decided I’m just going to let it go…. I will of course decorate my house and the tree but ya know this year it doesn’t have to be Perfect. My mother would benefit from this book as well sorry to say control runs in the family!
I’ve always been a control freak and so need to change this attitude. This book sounds so helpful and encouraging.
The holiday season is definitely a control inducing time of year for me. Thanksgiving and Christmas have to many things attached to them and it feels like one forgotten thing will be catastrophic. I know it won’t be, but it feels that way anyhow.
I SO NEED this book! I struggle with being a control freak! I try to let go and let God, but Satan has his way with me time & time again. Thanks for the friendly reminder that God wants His job back!
I am Letting Go and Letting God…..have it all today!
Thank you for your devotionals and this post today regarding this great book.
I would love it if i could win the book & join in on the study, holidays have always made me go batty…I know alot of it is unneccessary, i am interested in learning some strategies:)
Id like to learn how to know when to stop controlling. It is so engrained in my nature it surprises me sometimes. When I do catch myself it fees so much better to just give it to God instead. Of course it affects all areas of my life. My best friend Marjorie would benefit from it too. Thanks.
Thank-you for your devo this morning. I am passing it on to my hubby. We are struggling thru a circumstance that has the potential to drag us into the pit but we are trying to rise above it as Jesus would. It is soooo hard not to focus your thots on worry rather than God. Thank-you for this reminder for us especially at this moment!!! We needed to hear it. I think like us all I would like to be able to control the situation.
My name is Pam and I have a control problem!! Oh my! I would love to read LET IT GO and share another copy with my friend : )
Thanks for this post and for the offer of Karen’s book. This is one of the main issues that God has to work on with me. I was raised with the mantra of being self-sufficient, not needing anyone, etc., and it has spilled over into having to have control over every aspect of my life and every person in my life, to the point of going into depression and having anxiety attacks when things don’t go as planned. God has been working with me on it, and it is a constant struggle to let go and let God. A good friend of mine is going through a whole series of personal crises and it would be a true blessing to her to have this resource, and we could use the Starbucks card to meet over coffee and go throught the book
Bless you Renee for your ministry. It has been a blessing to me in so many ways.
Mary Mc. in Va.
I need to learn to let go. My life is a mess; have been betrayed by family & friends, am seeking psychiatric help for depression, stopped going to church………I NEED TO RELY ON GOD again – I’m so far from where I used to be. The Let.It.Go book & study sound perfect for me. xoxo
I am a major control freak. I have some things I’m walking through right now that are making me deal with this, and boy is it hard. I am so excited to hear about this book!!