In This Edition:
You Are Not In Control
Speaking Schedule: Inspire Conference
Subscribe!
You Are Not In Control
Photo by Jose Castillo on Unsplash
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”
(Isaiah 41:10 CSB)
HOME
Self-help guru Tony Robbins built a career—and a fortune—hosting seminars and doing private coaching with this basic mantra: “you can design your life.” Why do you think that career choice proved so profitable? I can tell you:
First, so many people want to design their life. We live in one of the most prosperous countries in the world. The self-made millionaire happens in this country more than any other. Rags to riches stories are a-plenty, and people are always saying that if you are given freedom and opportunity, anything is possible if you set your mind to it. And so, off we go to design our lives. I imagine this happens in three particular phases of life: (a) when we are young, fresh out of college, and figuring out what our dream life will be; (b) when we hit 40, mid-career, realize some life choices have closed off pathways and opened others, and we want to hit reset as much as possible and chart a clearer course toward retirement; and (c) when its time to quit that career and figure out the last leg of our journey in this life from retirement to death. Those are the three big moments when we think especially “I need to design the rest of my life.” That’s one big reason why Tony Robbins is so successful and why his offer is so lucrative.
But there is a second reason. I imagine he has had many repeat customers or continuous customers. Do you know why? Because, as Robert Burns taught us, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” I have no doubt that having a plan is often better than not having a plan, that investing early and consistently is better financially in the long run than not doing so, and that making adjustments with input from people who know is going to lead to better outcomes than not paying attention to life’s curveballs. Of course that’s true. There is wisdom in that. But can I just list some “real life” examples of “real life” for you?
The young man fresh out of college, married for 1 year, may set out to design his life; but he doesn’t anticipate—and doesn’t plan for—the car wreck that is going to lead to chronic pain and limited job opportunities.
The mother of 3 who loves her stay-at-home-mom job and can’t wait for a 4th, didn’t plan for the severe health issues the 4th child experiences—and how all that needed attention would become all-consuming.
The 40-year old mid-level manager could see the pathway to the executive level, and invested accordingly; but he never saw COVID coming, or the layoffs that followed.
The 45-year old school principal who thought she was doing well—on her way to superintendent and all, and combined with her spouses income was going to give them the leg up for the future they both desired—didn’t see her husband’s cheating ways; so it shocked her to her toes when he announced he was leaving her.
The couple who longed all their lives for the retirement years to travel the world had to go to the bank last week to withdraw all that money they saved up for the RV only to spend it on building an extra room on their house to house their grandchildren, because the parents through bad choices are unable to raise them or raise them well; and now the next full decade and perhaps the last decade of full health for this couple will be spent in parenting all over again.
When you are sitting at the bedside of a dying parent; when you are waiting on a jury’s decision regarding someone you love; when you reach that moment right before they put you under before surgery—then you will know, you are not in control.
We think we can design our lives. It’s why sermons that consistently preach “5 steps to a better you, 4 steps to a better relationship, 3 steps to a wealthier retirement” will continue to attract people, and it’s why the most recent gallop poll asking Americans if they are very satisfied with their lives reported an all-time low. It’s one thing to know your lot in life and made peace with it; it’s something else to assume and dream about more than you have and to constantly find yourself disappointed.
I have a word of hope for you, but it won’t sound like hope at first. The word of hope is not that I can guarantee you a certain amount of money in your retirement account, or a certain return on your investment, or the promise of how to ensure your kids will never made bad choices, or how to lock-in a sure-fire way to always climb the social ladder and never find yourself unemployed. I cannot offer you any of those things. And guess what…Tony Robbins can’t either.
But I can give you the secret formula that if you believe it, apply it, and live it, can fill you with unimaginable peace, inexpressible joy, and all the emotional capital that you think can only come when all your dreams are fulfilled. That’s right. I can give you the secret formula that will give your heart, mind, and soul what you think you can only find at the end of the rainbow of money, wealth, fame, power, and legacy. And it’s the formula that Jesus Christ believed, applied, and lived.
Are you ready for it? You may want to write this down and pass it along to your spouse, kids, and your financial manager. It’s 2 sentences made up entirely of 7 words.
Ready?
“You are not in control. God is.”
This is the intro to a sermon preached on June 22, 2025 at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) entitled “You Are Not In Control.” It is a lesson in a sermon series called “Follow Me,” and in the sub-series called “Be With Jesus.” This lesson is available to watch or listen, and appears on the Life on the West Side podcast (Season 4, Episode 71). Available on all podcast platforms.
Changing A Culture Through Christian Ethics
I will be giving the Healthcare Ethics & Human Dignity Lectures at Harding University’s Inspire Lectureship this fall (Sep 29).
How can the ethical commitments of the early church serve as an attractive model amidst the voices in our culture clamoring for our attention? Reimagine Christian ethics as a sweet aroma.
8:00 AM
The Attractive Nature of Counter-Cultural Commitments
10:00 AM
Can I Get A Witness?: An Alternative To Winning or Withdrawal
11:00 AM
Salt & Light: Making Practical Application
Subscribe to Life on the West Side
My name is Nathan Guy. I serve as associate professor of philosophy, theology, and ethics and as the director of the David E. Smith Healthcare Ethics and Human Dignity Initiative at Harding University (Searcy, Arkansas). I am also privileged to serve as preaching minister for the West Side Church of Christ in Searcy. I joyfully adjunct courses for the School for Professional Studies at St. Louis University and enthusiastically serve as chairman of the board for the Center for Christian Studies. I am happily married to Katie and am the proud father of Grace and Henry. You can find more resources on my website over at nathanguy.com. You can also follow me (@nathanpguy) on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), Threads, Bluesky, and YouTube.