Sinks and The Illusion of Control

Over the years I have known many people who truly believed that Jesus is real, that He was who He said He was, and did all the things that the Bible says that He did. With all that said, these people I’m referring to simply refuse to turn their lives over to Him. They acknowledge His reality, but won’t surrender their lives to Him. I’m not talking about atheists, but folks who really do believe in the truth of Jesus.

There may be many reasons for this refusal to commit to God, but I have come to believe that for the vast majority, it is simply a control issue. They think that if they don’t commit to Him, they can somehow stay in control of their lives and come out ahead. In reality, that is only the illusion of control, because no one is truly in control of their lives. We only think we are. The only real control we have is whether we accept truth, or reject it. Beyond that, everything is out of our hands.

Those who have surrendered to Jesus know that He is the only way to wholeness and healing for our lives. Only by keeping the channel open to Him can we lead full lives, because He is the Source of life, the one "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:3).

I spent twenty-six years working in water treatment plants. We took dirty, bacteria-laden river water, and piped it into our treatment plant. We then killed the harmful bacteria, filtered the dirt particles out of the water, and sent it into pipelines by which it reached homes for drinking water. It was not unusual for me to treat forty-million gallons during my twelve-hour shift.

Now, getting back to the people who believe Jesus is real, but refuse to turn their lives over to Him…they are like people sitting beside their kitchen sink. All they have to do it reach out and open that faucet, then all that life-giving water is right there for them. They need that water desperately, but for many the need to be in control is more important than surviving. I can imagine them sitting there saying, "No, it’s my sink, and I can keep it dry if I want to!" And about that one thing, they are right. The choice is actually about living or dying, but they can indeed choose to die of thirst while sitting next to a faucet that could bring them millions of gallons of clean and safe water…if they just opened up and received what had been provided.

In Jesus’s own words, "…the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: '…this people's heart has grown dull…and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'" Matthew 13:14-15 (ESV)

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'" John 4:13-14 (NIV)