First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Yes and No of Self-control

Linda Soller | Sep 05, 2016

So the Drop-In class spent the summer discussing “respectable” sins, ending with self-control. For the most part we understand that having self-control is a good thing. I’m not sure we were really thinking a lack of self-control was a sin. According to Webster’s dictionary self-control is: “restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires.” When you see the definition it’s easier to understand how lacking self-control can be sinful. In our culture we are challenged to exercise self-control on a daily basis. There are many tasty foods to tempt us! There is an abundance of sedentary activities to entertain us. We are tempted by material items we “need” to have to be like our friends and neighbors. Even our cars provide horns so we can quickly let those around us know of our displeasure. Whoa! No wonder self-control is becoming a lost art.

How do you deal with your own shelf-control struggles? Come on, I know you have them. You may not have as many as I have, but we humans have impulses, emotions, and desires. We all struggle at one time or another with self-control. The Bible describes a person without self-control like a city without protective walls (Proverbs 25:28). This makes for a good visual aid because we understand walls must be built over time, and once strongly in place they can provide protection. Unfortunately, we also know there are things which tear walls down.

Building your self-control involves a series of answers to questions. Sometimes you must say yes, and other times you must say no. Gee wouldn’t it be easier if it could always be one or the other? Part of the challenge of self-control is knowing when to say yes and when to say no. If it were easy we wouldn’t be talking about it! Do you get up in the morning to exercise? Answer one might be yes, because you know you will feel better and have it out of the way for the day. Answer two might be no, because exercising at night helps you unwind from your day, and is a reward for surviving the stresses of your job. Yes, is correct and no is correct, depending on what works for you. Like I said, there is no easy answer. I’m confident that we all have a certain amount of self-control, but the amount may vary greatly depending on the circumstances. I offer the following suggestion. Face your personal protective wall, one brick at a time. Maybe you will add a brick when you say “yes”, and maybe the next brick will come with a resounding “no”.  You may need to seek help building your wall, and sometimes your wall may crumble and require a “start over”. Through faith and prayer, you can seek strength to exercise your self-control, understanding to recognize when you need more self-control, and support as you struggle with your crumbling wall. Yes, you can do it. No, it’s not always easy.

Have a great week!    : o)  Linda