Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDXLV

He's possessed." It's a phrase we throw around lightly, but what does it really mean? My initial impulse when I think of the word "possess" is to define it as "to own," but the more I think about it, I conclude that it's much more than just ownership. As an example, let's say someone steals my car. Technically I would still OWN the car, but I wouldn't POSSESS it. To possess something, I must not only own it, but I must also have control of it. Therefore if I say "He's possessed," I'm implying that he is "owned" and "controlled" by something or someone. Some people's first reaction when they hear that phrase is to think he's being controlled by some kind of evil spirit, but the possibilities go far beyond that. Let me tell you a little story a friend told me that puts this topic into perspective: He said when he first got out of school and went to work, he saw on the dealer's lot a new truck he felt he couldn't live without. When he found out what the note would be, he knew it would be a struggle, but he could pay it, so he bought it. Then came the insurance bill and the gas bills he forgot to figure into the equation. He said owning that truck put him in such a bind, he only drove it to work and back. The rest of the time he and his truck just stayed home because he couldn't afford to go anywhere else. It then dawned on him that instead of him possessing the truck, the truck possessed him, because it basically controlled his life, and that truck he had wanted so badly became a detestable object in his life. I've known people who were so possessed by the desire to increase their possessions they literally turned control of all their activities over to those desires, even to the point of unethical dealings in pursuit of more and more "stuff." In the end, instead of being the owners, they became the owned. Have you ever known a young lady who became so obsessed with capturing the heart of some certain young man that she basically became his property and was completely owned and controlled by him? A quick note: Whatever is your obsession, you are likely to become its possession. I'm not saying that's always a bad thing, as long as your possessor always has your best interest at heart. Otherwise, it's not good. Bob Dylan wrote a song called "You're Gonna Have to Serve Somebody." Here's the question: Will the one I'm serving, my possessor, control my life with an attitude of greed and selfishness, or will his/her love for me be the motivation? If I am possessed by "things," my life will not be pretty nor happy. Here's my prayer: Dear Lord, please don't let my life be controlled by things or any other person. I only want to be controlled by You. Lord I know that decision has to be mine, so now I'm asking You to take complete possession of my life. Own me. Control me. I want to be Your property, because I know when I relinquish my will to Yours, everything else in my life will fall into its proper place, and happiness will truly be mine. Amen. Preston