Playing Fantasy Football allows us to feel more involved in the sport we love to watch every fall. But, we also realize our role is limited because we aren’t the ones putting on a helmet or calling the plays!

It’s hard to accept, but so much of playing Fantasy Football is out of our control. We don’t control the actual NFL action, the injuries that take place, who the quarterback throws to, and which players the coach puts on the field and in position to score.

We also don’t control what other Fantasy managers in our league do. We can’t make other managers in the league draft the players we don’t want and leave us the players we do want to select. We can’t control which players other managers add and drop during the season or force them to trade us the ones we like.

With that said, there are elements of Fantasy Football we do control and that’s what we must embrace and turn our attention to. As the old saying goes, “control what you can control.”

We do control our perspective and how we approach Fantasy Football. We control our attitude and how we respond when our players perform poorly or get injured.

We control our actions and decisions when it comes to drafting, managing our roster, and selecting players for our lineup. We control our preparation before drafting and then throughout the season as we research and watch games. We control our effort and how much time and emphasis we put into our Fantasy team.

Everything else we can’t worry about or allow to negatively affect us.

When following Jesus, we can also relate to the value of living with the mindset of “control what you can control.” Daily, we control our perspective, attitude, actions, preparation, and effort.

Beyond things like that, so much takes place in the world and in our personal lives that are beyond our control. This reality can either lead us to a place of frustration and despair, or a true surrender to God.

Part of realizing that so much is out of our control is the acceptance that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, ultimately in control, and worthy to be trusted.

We have free will and live in a broken world filled with evil taking place all around us, but we know that Jesus has already won as He died and rose again. God’s divine plan to save us, redeem us and the world is well underway.

He is on the throne and He is God, and we are not, so that should lead to relief, freedom, and peace instead of worry and fear because it’s not all up to us. Worry and fear take over when we think we’re in charge and can control certain things we just can’t. The sooner we admit Who is in charge and surrender to Him daily, the better off we’ll be.

Are we willing to submit to God and trust that He’s in control and able to lead us and strengthen us? Are we willing to “control what we can control,” rest in knowing so much of this life is out of our hands, and believe we’re actually in better hands?

Romans 11:33-36 (NLT) declares, ”Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!

“For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice? And who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.”

Psalm 135:6 (NLT) says, “The Lord does whatever pleases Him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths.”

God is in control, loves us, and knows what’s best, so let’s let go and find peace as we believe this to be true. Let’s control what we can control which includes deciding who we trust, who we follow, what we focus on, and who we invest our time in.

This gives us a good place to start in helping us worry less about what we can’t control…and sticking to what we can, as we surrender to God’s plans and His ways.

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: God, You are the Almighty, All-Powerful Creator, and Sustainer. I place my trust in You as I know You are in control. Your plans are better than mine and I thank You for leading me and guiding me. Please help me not to worry about what’s out of my control and instead focus on what You’re asking me to do each day. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

1. What does the saying “control what you can control” look like for you in a practical way? What do you need to let go of?

2. How do you normally respond to things that happen that are out of your control? In what ways would you like to react differently?