Chapter One
Session 1
Getting a
Grip on
Your Life
THE BIG PICTURE
A mother stopped at her parents' home for just a few
moments to pick something up. While she went into the
house with her two little children, she left her car running in
the driveway. As they were coming back out, her four-year-old
boy ran to the car, opened the door, climbed in the driver's
seat and accidentally hit the gearshift lever. He put the car
into drive and it ran right through the garage door of her
parents' house. The mother stood in stunned amazement as
she watched the car crash through the door. There was nothing
she could do. It was out of her control. Thankfully, no one was
injured.
Not many days later the woman's husband was driving the
same car. He was dropping off a friend at home and his four-year-old
son was sitting in the backseat. As the father was
driving up the driveway approaching his friend's garage, he
realized that he was on glare ice. He put his foot on the brake
but realized it wasn't going to do any good. As the car slid
closer to the closed garage door, he said to his friend, "I think
we're in big trouble." A moment later they crashed through
the garage door.
His little boy in the backseat quietly said, "It's okay, Dad, the
same thing happened to me last week."
I remember the father saying to me, "Bill, it is hard to describe
how helpless I felt when I realized I was on ice and that there
was nothing I could do to stop my car from crashing through
my friend's garage door. It was a horrible feeling. I was utterly
out of control."
A WIDE ANGLE VIEW
1 Describe in detail a time you experienced being out
of control.
What feelings gripped your heart at that moment?
A BIBLICAL PORTRAIT
Read Genesis 1:1-27
2 How do you see God creating order out of chaos in the
account of creation?
What do you learn about the character of God in this
passage?
3 Genesis 1:26 says, "Then God said, 'Let us make man
in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the
fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock,
over all the earth, and over all the creatures that
move along the ground.'" If human beings are created
in the image of God, and God is a God of order, what
do you learn about humanity from this passage?
SHARPENING THE FOCUS
Read Snapshot "An Honest Look at Your Life"
AN HONEST LOOK AT YOUR LIFE
If you took an honest inventory of your life, you might have to admit that some things are not the way
they should be. It is a rare experience to find a person who feels they have a good grip on every area
of their life. Most of us struggle with feeling that parts of our life are out of control. If we portrayed our
life on a pie graph and were to honestly plot each area, each of our diagrams would look different.
Look closely at a few examples of what some lives might look
like:
Person 1 Person 2 Person 3
4 What observations can you make about the life of one
of the people represented above?
5 Take a few minutes and create your own pie graph. Be
sure it honestly reflects the levels of priority and commitment
in your life. Think about where you are
investing your time and energy at this time in your life.
Some areas you might want to plot are: your vocation,
family life, friendships, recreation, hobbies, spiritual
growth, and commitment to developing physical
health. Plot these and any other areas that are important
to you.
What is one observation you can make about yourself by
looking at your pie graph?
What surprises you as you look at this representation of your
life?
6 What is one area of your life in which you feel you
have a good and healthy grip?
What is contributing to this area being so positive?
7 What area do you need to get a grip on as soon as
possible?
What is standing in the way of you getting a grip on this area
of your life?
What needs to change if you are going to finally get a grip
on it?
Read Snapshot "It's Time to Get a Grip"
IT'S TIME TO GET A GRIP
We live in a day and age of delayed responsibility. We hear the ads say, "Buy today and don't pay for
one full year!" Credit card use is at an all-time high. We plan to start dieting and exercising "tomorrow"-but
we have had these plans every day for the last year! We forget that our actions have consequences,
and that lack of action can have just as severe consequences. Waiting, delaying, and procrastinating
make change only more difficult.
It is time for us to get a grip and face reality. Postponing the battle, delaying the inevitable, and waiting until
tomorrow will never make things any easier. If we are going to experience order in our chaotic lives, we need to
acknowledge the disorder. We need to admit that things are spinning out of control. It's time to get a grip.
8 In the coming five sessions we will look very closely at
five specific areas in which you may need to get a grip
on your life. Take a moment and assess your life. On
the continuum below, mark where you are right now
in each area:
My Schedule
Spinning out I have a loose I have a good grip
of control grip on this area on this area
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
My Physical Health
Spinning out I have a loose I have a good grip
of control grip on this area on this area
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
My Personal Finances
Spinning out I have a loose I have a good grip
of control grip on this area on this area
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
My Spiritual Growth
Spinning out I have a loose I have a good grip
of control grip on this area on this area
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
My Relationships
Spinning out I have a loose I have a good grip
of control grip on this area on this area
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Identify one area of your life that your small group members
can begin praying for you to grow and get a grip on in the
coming weeks.
9 What is your strongest area right now?
How can your small group members help you celebrate the
strength you are experiencing in this area of your life?
PUTTING YOURSELF IN THE PICTURE
Time Inventory
Take time in the coming week to take an honest assessment
of how much time you spend doing the following things:
Amount of
time in
Item: a week:
Work and work-related activities ________
Hobbies and recreational activities ________
Watching TV ________
Exercising and developing physical health ________
Being with friends ________
Time with your spouse (if married) ________
Time with children (if you have them) ________
Time reading the Bible and praying ________
Time in worship and with other
followers of Christ ________
Other things you do:
____________________________________ ________
____________________________________ ________
Personal "Getting a Grip" List
When we slow down enough to really look at our lives, the
chaos can feel overwhelming. So many things are out of control
that we just don't know where to begin. Take time in the
coming week to identify two-three at the most-areas in
your life where you really desire to get a grip. Write them
down below.
Areas in which I want to get a grip:
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Begin praying for God to help you look honestly at each of
these areas, and for strength to begin reclaiming control in
each area.
(Continues.)
