*Excerpt from Beyond Our Control: Let Go of Unmet Expectations, Overcome Anxiety, and Discover Intimacy with God by Lauren and Michael McAfee

Psychologist Dr. John Townsend is a family friend, and he once explained to me that the negative emotion often most closely associated with the concept of control, or a lack of it, is anxiety. The control/anxiety correlation rang true. The growing illusion that we have more control of our lives than previous generations seems to be leading us to a place of greater anxiety, not less. 

I couldn’t believe this was real, as I took a moment to process that I was sitting in the OKC Children’s Hospital cancer wing, trying to keep my daughter somewhat quiet while our friends circled around us to pray over Zion and her upcoming cancer removal surgery. I was terrified, but as I watched our community wrap around us, I knew that I wasn’t alone.