control
From Control to Trust: A Guided Lenten Practice
Mar. 09, 2025 12:44 Filed in: Spiritual Practice | Audio
Week of Lent I, March 9: From Control to Trust
Luke 4:1-13
In this passage, Jesus refuses the temptations of security, affection, and control and puts his trust in God. The desire for control is normal, a part of the human experience, and often a response to hurt or trauma. But often, that control is an illusion, an idol that keeps us from receiving what God has to give us.
What’s one thing you find yourself trying to control?
What’s one step you could take to trust God with that issue this week?
[ Audio version of this practice ]
Find a comfortable spot in your space. Sit or lie down in a way that allows your body to fully relax. Take your time, making any necessary adjustments. If your body offers you guidance about what it needs to fully soften into this moment, heed its advice.
Once you're feeling supported and settled, gently shine the flashlight of your awareness onto your breath, be curious--- what do you find? Is it smooth and even? Are you craving a deeper inhale or more luxurious exhale? Does it reach to your belly or is it living up and among your collarbones? Invite your breath to soften and lengthen – signaling to your mind and nervous system that it’s ok to drop into this moment, there is no place else to go, nothing else to do.
Release your awareness from your breath and trust it to do what needs to be done to breathe your body.
Now, again using your awareness like a flashlight, bring your awareness to your feet. Check in with the soles of the feet, the tops of the feet, the ankles. Let your noticing gradually pull upwards, checking in with your calves, shins, and knees.
Consider the strong muscles of your upper leg – the hamstrings, quadriceps, all the tendons. Notice any tension still present and gently soften deeper into your seat.
Bring your awareness to the hips, pelvic bowl, seat...imagine the light of your awareness working its way into the intricate workings of your hip sockets, softening whatever tightness you may find.
Let the awareness move up now into the belly bowl, the lower back. Fill the whole lower torso with breath and the light of awareness.
Let it continue up, checking in with the diaphragm, the rib cage, the lungs – take some time to saturate all the vital organs and muscles in your chest cavity with awareness and breath.
Notice now as the flashlight of awareness gently rises to fill in the space around the collarbones, the shoulder blades, and pools along the strong muscles atop your shoulders. Imagine your awareness cascading down each arm – touching your biceps, triceps, elbows, forearms, wrists…hands and fingers. Notice as any tension or tightness drips out the tips of the fingers and returns to the earth.
Train your gentle awareness on your neck and let it fill and move along the muscles on the front of the neck, the sides, the back. Release the root of the tongue, release the jaw. Let the muscles of your face and scalp soften, giving some extra noticing to your temples, the tiny muscles across your forehead, and the deep pockets of the eye sockets.
Good – now notice as your entire human form is full of gentle awareness and breath. Just breathe into the shape of you for another moment.
Now, into this soft, supported, and open human consciousness space, consider your relationship with God.
Bring to mind the notion of security, of affection, of control. What do you notice in your body as you consider each of these words: security, affection, control.
This week, God is asking us to practice relinquishing control, to unclench our grasping fingers and hand over our efforts into divine hands.
Bring to mind one situation or life circumstance that elicits a perceived need for control. Pay close attention to your body, breath, and mind as you consider this specific piece of your life. What does your breath do as you grasp for control? Where does holding and tightness show up in the body?
Take some time bringing this situation into full resolution, imagine holding the fullness of it all in your hands – emotions, stress, unknown, fear, hope. Tune into all that is there as your human self tries to hold it all in your two hands.
Now, imagine reaching your hands out to hand that entire situation – complexities and all – to God. Feel God take it from you – not in a way that makes it entirely disappear or dissipate – but in a way where you can rest your arms and have some distance from carrying it all alone.
Breathe into the relief and the unburdening of having handed this over to God, feel the release of the muscles, any space that enters the mind, any new thoughts.
Honor any discomfort that arises. Letting go of control can be uncomfortable. Consider the difference between discomfort and danger. Offering up our imagined control to the hands of God can be uncomfortable – but it is not dangerous. Let the discomfort be with you for a minute, co-existing.
Now, bring to mind the upcoming week of your human life. Scan through the upcoming days, events, connections, and allow opportunities to practice letting go of control arise in your consciousness. Perhaps there is a conversation that now has a different objective, or some tension in the neck that can be stretched and moved. Perhaps there is a prayer to be added to the daily communion with God. Sit quietly until one clear, manageable, and actionable step arises that will help practice letting go of control and letting God.
Once you’ve identified your action step, release any practice and tend fully to three deep breaths. Then return to the room and stretch to come back into the present moment.
Podcast
Luke 4:1-13
In this passage, Jesus refuses the temptations of security, affection, and control and puts his trust in God. The desire for control is normal, a part of the human experience, and often a response to hurt or trauma. But often, that control is an illusion, an idol that keeps us from receiving what God has to give us.
What’s one thing you find yourself trying to control?
What’s one step you could take to trust God with that issue this week?
[ Audio version of this practice ]
Find a comfortable spot in your space. Sit or lie down in a way that allows your body to fully relax. Take your time, making any necessary adjustments. If your body offers you guidance about what it needs to fully soften into this moment, heed its advice.
Once you're feeling supported and settled, gently shine the flashlight of your awareness onto your breath, be curious--- what do you find? Is it smooth and even? Are you craving a deeper inhale or more luxurious exhale? Does it reach to your belly or is it living up and among your collarbones? Invite your breath to soften and lengthen – signaling to your mind and nervous system that it’s ok to drop into this moment, there is no place else to go, nothing else to do.
Release your awareness from your breath and trust it to do what needs to be done to breathe your body.
Now, again using your awareness like a flashlight, bring your awareness to your feet. Check in with the soles of the feet, the tops of the feet, the ankles. Let your noticing gradually pull upwards, checking in with your calves, shins, and knees.
Consider the strong muscles of your upper leg – the hamstrings, quadriceps, all the tendons. Notice any tension still present and gently soften deeper into your seat.
Bring your awareness to the hips, pelvic bowl, seat...imagine the light of your awareness working its way into the intricate workings of your hip sockets, softening whatever tightness you may find.
Let the awareness move up now into the belly bowl, the lower back. Fill the whole lower torso with breath and the light of awareness.
Let it continue up, checking in with the diaphragm, the rib cage, the lungs – take some time to saturate all the vital organs and muscles in your chest cavity with awareness and breath.
Notice now as the flashlight of awareness gently rises to fill in the space around the collarbones, the shoulder blades, and pools along the strong muscles atop your shoulders. Imagine your awareness cascading down each arm – touching your biceps, triceps, elbows, forearms, wrists…hands and fingers. Notice as any tension or tightness drips out the tips of the fingers and returns to the earth.
Train your gentle awareness on your neck and let it fill and move along the muscles on the front of the neck, the sides, the back. Release the root of the tongue, release the jaw. Let the muscles of your face and scalp soften, giving some extra noticing to your temples, the tiny muscles across your forehead, and the deep pockets of the eye sockets.
Good – now notice as your entire human form is full of gentle awareness and breath. Just breathe into the shape of you for another moment.
Now, into this soft, supported, and open human consciousness space, consider your relationship with God.
Bring to mind the notion of security, of affection, of control. What do you notice in your body as you consider each of these words: security, affection, control.
This week, God is asking us to practice relinquishing control, to unclench our grasping fingers and hand over our efforts into divine hands.
Bring to mind one situation or life circumstance that elicits a perceived need for control. Pay close attention to your body, breath, and mind as you consider this specific piece of your life. What does your breath do as you grasp for control? Where does holding and tightness show up in the body?
Take some time bringing this situation into full resolution, imagine holding the fullness of it all in your hands – emotions, stress, unknown, fear, hope. Tune into all that is there as your human self tries to hold it all in your two hands.
Now, imagine reaching your hands out to hand that entire situation – complexities and all – to God. Feel God take it from you – not in a way that makes it entirely disappear or dissipate – but in a way where you can rest your arms and have some distance from carrying it all alone.
Breathe into the relief and the unburdening of having handed this over to God, feel the release of the muscles, any space that enters the mind, any new thoughts.
Honor any discomfort that arises. Letting go of control can be uncomfortable. Consider the difference between discomfort and danger. Offering up our imagined control to the hands of God can be uncomfortable – but it is not dangerous. Let the discomfort be with you for a minute, co-existing.
Now, bring to mind the upcoming week of your human life. Scan through the upcoming days, events, connections, and allow opportunities to practice letting go of control arise in your consciousness. Perhaps there is a conversation that now has a different objective, or some tension in the neck that can be stretched and moved. Perhaps there is a prayer to be added to the daily communion with God. Sit quietly until one clear, manageable, and actionable step arises that will help practice letting go of control and letting God.
Once you’ve identified your action step, release any practice and tend fully to three deep breaths. Then return to the room and stretch to come back into the present moment.
Podcast