Not eating too much cake is an exercise in self-control.
Have you ever seen a toddler throw a temper tantrum? They completely lose control of themselves as they scream and cry until their little faces turn red. They sometimes lie on the floor and thrash about. As parents, we have several ways of dealing with their behavior. We can ignore it or meet it head on. We also know that there can be extenuating circumstances. For example, if the child hasn’t had a nap, losing self-control is much more likely. A well rested child is typically happier.
We hear the phrase, “I couldn’t help myself;” a lot in our society. Most of us have said it at some point. It can refer to ordering a dessert to eating an entire bag of cookies. It can refer to drinking too much alcohol or making a purchase that we had no business making. It can even refer to words we had no business saying to someone. The phrase itself can seem rather harmless. But, is it?
When we say, “I couldn’t help myself;” we are acknowledging that we had no control, whatsoever over our actions. But, if we had no control over our actions, then who did? Now we get to the phrase, “The devil made me do it.” That’s another phrase that seems harmless. Most of us have uttered that as well at some point. When we say something like that, we don’t really believe we have succumbed to some sort of demonic possession.
But, here again, can we really not control ourselves? The New Testament has a lot to say about self-control which isn’t really surprising when you think about it. The Old Testament had a lot of rules and laws to follow. The New Testament is centered around grace and Jesus’ call to follow him. Jesus was definitely a portrait of self-control.
Self-control is listed as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit right up there with joy and peace and love. Have you ever wondered why that may be? Why is self-control so important to Christians? For one thing, our religion doesn’t teach that if we don’t do exactly as we are told by our leadership that we will be be-headed. Our faith teaches a different way. We are to love God and love one another, when we do those two things, all of the rest falls into place.
So, how do we attain this elusive self-control? We can take a cue from our cranky toddler example. When we are over tired, Satan can get a foothold. It’s easier to lose control when we are exhausted. We can read the Bible. As I said earlier, there are a ton of examples of the importance of self-control found in it. We can surround ourselves with community who will help us with whatever we struggle with. This is why Weight Watchers works for those who are trying to lose weight and Alcoholics Anonymous works for those trying to stop drinking alcohol. Community works. Those two programs are shining examples.
A solid church community can also be helpful if we are fighting on keeping self-control in some area. Being accountable to others for our actions can really help us stay on the path to self-control.
Of course, there is prayer. We always have the ability and privilege to give to God whatever is gnawing at our souls. When we pray earnestly about something as important to our faith walk as self-control, I have no doubt He will send help. Sometimes we simply need to ask. The Bible tells us that, “The temptations in your life are no different than what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
I don’t know about you, but I find that comforting. How do you do with self-control?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂