if yu believe god, you do have some control. but look around you. are there not those who live their entire lives without any interest in the things of god? did not god know this from the beginning? whosever will to the lord may come. and therein lies the rub. just the fact that you have the presence of mind to ask the question shows that you have what it takes to be a child of god. and what does any parent require of their child? obedience. that seperates the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the goats. its not about what everybody else is doing, its what you do with what you are given. many are called, but few are chosen.