Okay, so I'm back after a hiatus during the holiday season of crazy life and lack of time for anything. I had a good vacation to Texas with Meredith. I accomplished my 2 goals of playing golf and getting a massage. It was nice to be home in that we had the opportunity to just relax and have no agenda to accomplish each day as usual.

So now it's "back to life". You get that feeling after every vacation or trip you ever take. You get back to normal. Sometimes you dread it and sometimes you can't wait. I usually experience a little bit of both in my "back to life" moments. On one hand, I hate for it to end because it's different and new, but on the other hand, I am often ready for it to end because I can't handle the lack of predictability.

So I would challenge that this whole "back to life" dilemma really rests with the issue of control. How important is it for us to have control over our lives? When I look at the bad and illogical decisions I have made in my life, they all seem to hinge on the issue of control. There are many things decisions I've made, feelings I've harbored, and actions I've regretting for the power of control.

Control manifests itself in many forms, most commonly selfishness. We start thinking about ourselves and what's good for us without considering the context of other people. The problem with this is that what's good for us is often determined by the context of the people with whom we are surrounded. What's best for us is determined not always by what we want, but by those people around us. We as the "body of Christ" needs to work together for the common good, not just our own.

So here is another day with the same dilemma of "us" vs. "we".

Let me encourage you to take some encouragement from Scripture. Paul says to do nothing out of selfish ambition or gain, but to consider others better than ourselves. We need to look to not just our own interests, but the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4) Be patient with each other for we are all sinners and imperfect. Forgive one another any grievances you have against each other. (Colossians 3:13)