Who’s The Boss?

If you are anything like my husband and me, you are subscribed to several streaming TV services. One that I favor is Hulu because of the variety of old and new shows. I tend to like wholesome, family-friendly stories with clean jokes and cute endings. This leaves me watching a lot more older shows versus newer ones. 

Lately, I’ve been watching episodes of one of my favorite shows as a kid, ‘Who’s The Boss?’ And of course, as a preacher, coach, and blogger it got me thinking… Who is the Boss of us? I came to the quick conclusion that it’s whoever we allow it to be. Whoever we give the most time, energy, and focus to is our Boss whether we want to admit it or not. My Spiritual Dad always says it like this: whoever has your ear is your prophet.

Tony Micelli and Angela Bower have a cute and funny relationship where they go back and forth a lot about what’s best for the Bower household. Tony is the housekeeper from the hood, and Angela is the polished executive from the suburbs. Their backgrounds and experiences couldn’t be more different, and they often have very different approaches to handling situations. So the lingering question between the two of them is: Who really is the Boss? Who runs the show?

Essentially, they both do. Tony and Angela grow close; over time, they build rapport and learn mutual respect for one another. I have to tell you, this is fast becoming one of my favorites all over again, and I find myself binge-watching episodes. And yet I’m reminded that this back-and-forth, ebb and flow relay race type of hand-off is happening in some of our spiritual lives, and that’s just no good. As a body of Believers we’ve been given a brand new life, so we have to let the old one go. You know the one where you were in charge? Or at least that’s what you thought. (I know I did!)

Interestingly enough, ‘Brand New Life’ is the name of the theme song for Who’s The Boss. The lyrics say:

There’s more to life than what you’re living.
So take a chance and face the wind.
An open road and a road that’s hidden.
A brand new life around the bend.

The writers note that there’s a trail that must be found, and at the end is a brand new life. Now you get where I’m going! Once you find the trail, you might also find that at the end is the ultimate version of you, the God you. The you that truly has nothing missing and nothing broken. The you that is tapped into Heaven’s miracles.

Unfortunately, rebellion and disobedience come naturally. This causes us to stray away from the trail. Reverencing God is not natural to humans, as we all came into a fallen world. There is no good thing in our flesh! The Bible has already warned us of that. The thing we must come to terms with is that we have kept a part of our hearts for ourselves. We did not give it all to God.

We are born in sin and shaped in iniquity, yes, but “I ain’t there yet” can no longer be the excuse.

You gave up one vice. For instance, you may have struggled with pornography in the past. You gave it to God; you got delivered; that’s great. But you didn’t give up the thing that protects you or makes you popular. Are you willing to give up the anger? Are you willing to give up gossiping? What you may not realize is that those habits are a harvest from the tree of fear. And the more you pluck that fruit, the more you cast clouds and shadows over your brand new life. You are angry because you are afraid to be let down or hurt again. You gossip to take the light off of yourself because you’re afraid that if people knew the real you, they would judge you and abandon you.

Think about it: how many relationships and opportunities did you ruin because you wanted to hold on to a “just in case” secret or a “just in case” chip on your shoulder? You’re afraid to go all in with romantic relationships and even friendships because you have let past hurt and trauma lock you in a cage. You keep people at arm’s length and don’t allow anyone to get too close because you want to remain in control and you want to feel like you’re in charge.

In case you haven’t realized it yet, you have let your issues become the Boss of you. And unlike Tony and Angela, there can only be one Boss. Either you (being driven by trauma and drama) or the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit. Change is possible. In fact, it’s necessary. It’s a sign of growth. The Holy Spirit brings about real change in any situation or any issue you give Him. Today is a great day to hand Him the keys and get out of the driver’s seat for good.