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 need this book. I have such a hard time letting certain things go. I must learn to TRUST God in all the areas in my life.
I can be controlling, wanting things to go my way and when they dont I start to doubt myself and get angry. I most definitely need a better way to relax and trust the Lord.
I would love to win 2 copies of this book because, I love to inspire and encourage others. I find reading my bible and other spiritual healing books. Im able to help those who dont know Christ, learn about his love and promises for us. GOD is GREAT all the time!!!
I also love to win those 2 copies to share with my sister who needs to know that Christ loves her despite of her circumstances… and besides Ive never won a contest. I’d love to know how that feels…
Thank you for your time and consideration.. God Bless
I am a control nut & need to let it go and let God!!!!
Unfortunately, I think most women think of being control freaks as a badge of honor in our culture. Thanks for steering us back to God’s thoughts about the subject!
This is a timely Word this morning for the season that I am in right now.
I have always been a planner and tried really hard to control things and recently I was dissapointed by a situation that occurred and really wanted to give up.
The Lord comforted me with Proverbs 3:5-6 and then when I absorbed that in my system- He told me to stay in my lane. That was His way of telling me that the only thing that I can control is my growth, my response, my contributions to life.
Whoa!!!!! He was telling me to mind my business in a nice way and I am reminded of that great serenity prayer to accept the things I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference.
I’m in a big process of Letting It Go and I believe that this book will be a great supplement to what the Lord is showing me.
I also lead the Women’s Ministries in my local church so I would love to give the other copy as a door prize at our next meeting.
God Bless
I never pictured myself as a control freak until I read your blog post. I now see so many areas in my life where I really need to let go and let God. I know that He can handle all that life throws my way, but losing my grip and trusting Him completely is often a struggle.
Karen’s book, Let.It.Go, sounds like a resource I could use (in addition to my daily bible reading) to learn to let it go. I also think he her book would be a great gift for my cousin who is also a bit of a control freak. Win or lose, this book is at the top of my must read list.
I’ve got find a way to learn how to control my emotions when I can’t control circumstances – this applies in so many areas of my life – as well as my family’s lives.. Would love a copy of your book to help 🙂 Thanks for encouraging words!!
Your devotional came at just the right time for me. I have a small vacation coming up where we’ll be visiting my brother for a few days for Thanksgiving. I should be excited, but I’m looking at all the stuff I have to do before we leave, as well as everything that needs to be done before Christmas. Just this morning my heart was turning towards The Pit. Thank you for reminding me to boss my heart around. I can praise God for all He has done. I can thank Him for this opportunity to go and visit my brother. I can thank Him that I have a warm home to celebrate Christmas in. Thank you for reminding me to praise at times and not always being “doing.”
would love to learn more about control issues!
I would like to win a copy of the copy because I want to learn how to “Let Go”.
Thank you so much for your encouragement Renee. I bought your book and started read it but I stop for some circumstances at that time period. I will read it back soon. Today I have learn how to praise God or boss my heart, there are times that I don’t find it easy to do it, but you said that I should focus on God than even my circimstances. I am praying to boss my heart deep down. I am so thankful for all the team pf prov. 31 I am encourage by each one of you every day. Thanks and God bless Karen’s new book.
I want to win it to get those insights into my daily life and 1st don’t let other things to control me, but to have the wisdom to control them but not to negg or get frustrated. 2nd to share with my friends about it.
Thanks.
Trying to figure out the balance of life as a new working mom. Would love a copy of this book to help!
Wow! I’m reading thru “A confident Heart” and read this very section on the bus this AM. I guess God knew I was going to need it twice! I really highly recommend that book, and so I’m sure the next one will be equally impactful, can’t wait to read it!
This book is going to be a great read,sometimes we don’t realize we are control freaks until someone shows us. We all have areas that we try to totally control,and it’s so much better when we give it to God,he can do it all.I would love to curl up with two of my favorite things,a great book and a Starbucks coffee.
I would LOVE to win this book!! I need SO much encouragement and direction when it comes to acknowledging that GOD ALONE is in control!!!
Lord help me. Why do you ladies keep reading my mail??? I so needed this today. Usually my glass isn’t even half empty, it’s broken… My path to self pity is well worn. All the stones have been kicked aside, and the way has been made clear so there are no hinderances to get there. I WILL start bossing my heart around. I WILL take authority over my spirit. Can’t wait to read this book.
Do you ever just see yourself written about in a post…. Yep this has my name all over it! What a freeing feeling to know that there are other women out there just like me and who seek the Lord to help redirect it all to HIM! Thank you for these resources.
Oh how I need to learn to let it go!!! I feel like the world record holder of control freaks. I struggle daily with surrender to God’s will vs. just let me get this one thing done. Looking forward to reading this book.
Unfortunately I’m pretty prone to hold onto things, especially when I have my heart set on something or when dissapointments or hurtful things people say and do against me.
I have especially recently been facing this more so, as if God is trying to prepare me for something more.
First time to Renee Swope’s website, but as we know, God’s planning is perfect. I have a large plaque in my bathroom that reads ‘LET GO LET GOD’, I was part of a women’s group organizing our church retreat titled the same, and have a few books (unread) by my beside with this topic in them somewhere. You’d think by now I’d be able to follow my own speeches, yet have not. I continue to hold onto things for far too long, i.e. relationship that is going nowhere, home that I cannot afford, grudges to an ex-husband, clothes that I don’t where and probably never will!, exercise routines, hurts from dear friend, and I could go on…
So do I need to finally learn to Let. It. Go. …? Yes, I think so.
Being a single mom of 2 teenage girls can be challenging enough, but without letting God be in control it is the makings of “insanity”. My life has been so much harder when I try to control others and do what I think is best for them, they are each individuals with different personalities, talents, and God given gifts to use as He wants them to, not me! The more I learn this and accept it, the more peace I have with my self and in our home. Instead of trying to do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result, I need to just give it to God (LET IT GO!) and watch him do his thing! He is so faithful, he always provides and gives us just what we need at just the right time.
I am finishing The Confident Heart in my bible study and would absolutely love to have a copy of this book for myself and to give as a gift this Christmas.
-A Work in Progress ☺
Well said Jennifer! I too am a single mother and the ‘control freak’ comes out in me often. When we’re trying to do the same for two parents, is more than a lil’ challenging. Your comments about ‘accepting’ people for who they are and expecting different results is so true. Thanks for posting, I will try to remember….