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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The message of Karen’s book and your interview with her really speak to my circumstances right now! So I thank the Lord for using you BOTH! I am about to begin an eight-week, full-time work assignment in our local school. I have prayed for wisdom to be able to simplify our celebrations at Christmas and to rest in the peace of Christ. This message of “letting it go” is one I will especially benefit from this year. Thanks, and God Bless! Amy
Hi, thank you for the opportunity to win this book. I’d like to win it so I could read it, and also have the pleasure of giving a copy to a friend or family member – the only difficulty would be in choosing WHO would receive the other copy!
The devotions that have come from this book describe me so well. I am a perfectionist and a control freak with very high expectations. Consequently, my poor family cannot begin to please me. This makes for a very tense and sad home. I suffer from anxiety and depression and a lot of guilt. I would love to hear about some ways to truly trust God and slay this ugly control monster!
I’ve loved Proverbs 31 for years, and the godly wisdom and encouragement I receive there. I try to share resources with our small women’s group and the college age girls I mentor at our church. Always looking for new sources of encouragement and thoughts on issues we all share.
Having been a teacher for over 30 years, I find it hard to relinquish “control” at home. I really would like to be more of a Proverbs 31 woman. I am reading The Excellent Wife – and this is very helpful, but Karen’s book focuses directly on the issue that I am currently battling. I have already ordered the book, but it would be wonderful to share a copy with my twin sister – so I hope I win a copy as well.
i just started being honest with my self about being a control freak after doing the Christmas 5-day challenge! really want to read this book to go deeper.
I would love to win a copy of your book. Being a homemaker with 3 young children, while still caring for younger siblings and aging parents makes it challenging for me to let go. God has and continues to do so many things in our lives. Since everyone else depends on me I find it hard to seek God when I now He is the only one who can deliver me from any situation with victory. I am currently reading Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst and making imperfect progress. It is a blessing to know that I am not alone. Thank you for sharing your story. It gives women like me hope and help with the direction of the Lord that we can become all that God has created up to be. Thank you. May God continue to bless you and your ministry.
My daughter and I both NEED this book; plus, I would like to use it as a resource in the ladies’ class I teach
Oh my! My whole house is full of control freaks and I’m afraid the six children got it from their Mom and Dad….Thanks for the opportunity to learn from a fellow sojourner.
I need to learn to let it go and be a woman of influence, especially with my husband.
I would love to win this book for it will bring me closer to the end of my race on this earth finishing it GREAT with letting go of the control!
As a mother of 3 girls this book would come in handy. When our children can see that it’s okay to Let go and let God, that’s powerful. They need to know that we don’t always need to “have control” and where does it begin, in the home 🙂 I’m really looking toward to reading this book and applying what I learn to my life and walk with the Lord.
I would love to win because (let’s be honest here) who doesn’t have something that they need to let go of? He who Christ sets free is free indeed! I love that He continues to set me free; however just when I think ” I am free!” then my wonderful God sets me free of something else and reveals something new to me. New level of freedom we did not even realize existed! He knows my needs better than me. He continues to amaze me and I stand in awe! I have a new friend at church who needs encouragement and has advised she has a hard time with these issues. I would share with her.
Wow I guess I’m not alone in being a control freak. I would love to get your book. I think it would be a blessing to receive one. Thank you for sharing.
Help, Mom has 1st stage Alzheimers and getting out of control. God is definitely in control but i need your book! And prayers……
Would love to win this! Need to let it go!
looking forward to reading the book and understanding more about my control issues.
Oh, how I need to read this book. I just mentioned to a friend today that the season my family is in right now is one where I need to have more flexability in my vocabulary & that is way out of my comfort zone.
As a woman, it is refreshing in a way to know that others struggle with the same issues as me! I don’t feel so alone. Looking forward to reading the book.
I need to “let go and let God” and I think Karen;s book will help me gain good perspective on that