My fruits of the Spirit word for today is self-control (Gal. 5:22).
I like to think that I’m a self-controlled person in all, but know that I am not when it comes to a lot of things that I don’t force myself to stop and think about. It is those things that I don’t stop to think about that get me in trouble.
For instance – I have been having a lot of trouble controlling my blood sugars the past three months and the blood test I had the other day that shows my three month averages reflects that very graphically.
It is not all of my doing, of course. I find that my body is fickle in keeping me in good graces either with myself or my doctors sometimes. It’s constantly changing and I have no way of knowing what the inner workings of it are. I can only try to guess and make corrections as I go along, hoping they are the right ones to make.
It involves a lot of guess work being a "brittle" diabetic and I’m not very good at guessing many times and become quite frustrated, at which point it is very tempting to lose one’s self-control, but that just makes things worse, or course.
I doubt that you can even begin to imagine, but that is good. I would not wish being diabetic on anyone who I care about and I care for all of you.
So the word self-control is a good one for me to think about today because since I saw my endocrinologist Tuesday I’ve been checking my blood sugars before each meal, two hours after each meal and before I go to bed to try to figure out what I need to do to get it in better control. If you don’t think that is time consuming and requires constant vigilance to remember to do it.
Plus, I’m sure I’ve poked my fingers enough in the last 37 years to draw gallons of blood!
Oh well. I suppose it could be worse . . .. I suppose.
Meanwhile I was watching Fox News yesterday when the Duke lacrosse players were exonerated of all charges against them in the stripper/rape accusations. While I feel badly for them and think that they suffered great injustice at the hands of an over-zealous politically motivated prosecutor, I cannot help but think that they should not have been in the position they were in in the first place to have set themselves up for such goings on.
One of the commentators afterwards was talking with another and bemoaning the fact that this incident will follow them throughout their lives, most likely, even in job interviews. Then the commentator said – what CEO is going to hire one of these young men wondering if he is going to put himself in a position for something like this to happen again.
I don’t think the commentator realized what he was saying because he was trying to blame the prosecutor, but I thought "Exactly." If they had not been where they should not have been in the first place and doing things they should not have been doing, none of this would or could have happened.
Maybe I’m too hard on them, do you think? I mean, after all they were college students who are prone to sowing wild oats and such. At least that is the take of this culture we live in.
But just because that is the atmosphere they have immersed themselves in and just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right. I’m sorry. Young people or not.
Look at the difference in how Christian young people are compared to these young men. At least should be.
Parents – train up your children in the way they should go. It is so important.
In the Duke case, talk about lack of self-control. There it will have lifetime consequences. Or maybe it always does . . ..
So let me go work on my word for today. It’s important.
Unfortunately we live in a world that is all about freedom and liberation from rules. Truth has even been tossed out and reality is next on the list. You have your own reality and I have mine. That is the attitude that is growing and it is a little scarey! We need more talk – and action – about self-control. Thanks for the reminder.
Self-control is certainly not high on the list of most people’s lives, I don’t think, Matt. Even for most Christians.
I worked with a young Christian married couple once where the wife was prone to outbursts of rage and vulgar language and pretty much excused it because that was “how she was” and (I suppose) what she got away with growing up. I actually worked on the fruits of the Spirit with them and while the husband was trying his best to work on them, she seemed not to care that self-control was badly lacking on her part, nor did she seem to want to do anything to correct it. And didn’t.
They ended up divorced, of course, because her lack of self-control led to huge debt and over charging of credit cards, etc, without the husband’s knowledge, among other things. That she excused as being a “compulsive” shopper!
Thanks for your comment, Matt.
Dee
We always tried to teach our children the dangers of guilt by association….it bit them a few times, but at least they couldn’t say they were not forwarned….
The Duke example is a good one of not exercising good judgement and control. I agree with your take on that.
Good post!
Self-control. It’s interesting that God created us humans to exercise dominion over the creation and in our fallen world our will is so weakend that we can’t even exercise dominion over the urge to buy the twinkie starring us down at the checkout register. Regaining our lost humaninty means inviting the Spirit to empower our spirit so that it (our spirit/will) exercises appropriate control over all the other faculties–even the stomach! Easier said than done. Spiritual disciplines are essential to putting the will back in the CEO’s chair and their worthless without the lead of the Spirit.
Love the blog. Thanks for the effort that goes into it!
Ben
I have been thinking about self-control too. You posted the thoughts much better than I ever could,
Thank you sister,
Peace
neva
Hope you are feeling better
Sorry « Out Here Hope Remains // Apr 13, 2007 at 8:14 am
[...] here if you don’t know? Anyway … that whole Duke thing has really taken a u-turn eh? I like Dee Andrews’ comments on the matter and agree with her. These guys are not heroes just because Nifong is a rogue prosecutor (if that’s what he is [...]
I used to look at people who were slow to react and come up with a quick judgement as being “weak.” An elder at another church comes to my mind. I now realize (as Max Lucado once wrote) that these folks speak with a “gentle thunder.” Not only that but it’s more important to get something of this magnitude right rather than be first with an opinion.
BTW – I do agree with your assessment of the Duke players. None of this would have happened if they had not decided to party with a couple of strippers.
I agree about the Duke case also. Not too long ago I uses the paternity test on Anna Nicole Smith’s baby as an analogy about our spiritual paternity test. One of my commenters thought I was too harsh and perhaps Anna Nicole was really a good person and all those men were lying. I replied that not one person who was her friend came forward to say it was impossible–to testify for her character and sexual integrity. Sort of the same situation—
It is so much easier to prove you did something than to prove you didnt.
Good thoughts
peace
neva
hope you feel better–still praying for you
Dee – I wasn’t going to comment but I could’nt help myself…
Seriously – isn’t this fruit at the crux of the matter– the ultimate in self-control is that daily surrender of self to Jesus — and from that comes the fruits — it is a “virtuous” circle of growth — compared with the “vicious” circle of death that comes from selfishness and rebellion — I’ll do it myself — I’ll doit my way — I’ll do what I please — and the consequnces are .. loss of self… what a Savior we have to get us out of that vicious and death promoting cycle.
God Bless
Charlie
p.s. Thanks for visiting the other day
Why bother with self control in this day and age? We do what we want, regardless of the collateral damage and then we point the finger of blame to either another person or a dysfunctional personality quirk over which we have no control. It works great!! (Sarcasm intended) How else does one explain the phenomenon of shows such as Jerry Springer?