Control Freaks

Have you noticed that almost everyone is a control freak in some form or fashion?

- The wife that has to know exactly what is going on for the next five days so she can stay on top of it and make sure she gets what she wants.

- The husband who has to know exactly where the wife is at all times, and who she is talking to, and why her opinion is different than his.

- The children fighting over who gets to hold the remote control, screaming because they didn’t get the candy bar they wanted at the checkout aisle, whining some sob story that “nobody cares” because they have to clean their room “all by themselves.”

- The Grandma in her control-top, push-up, slimming outfit with dyed hair, plastered face and hand-drawn eyebrows.

- The Grandpa who watches TV all day “because I want to,” mutes the newscaster because “he’s an idiot,” and avoids leaving his lazy boy recliner because “I’ve worked hard all my life, and now I’m going to do what I want for a change!”

- The cat at the door, meowing desperately to come in. When you open the door, he starts to come in but stops just short of the door and sits down, looking off into space like he’s suddenly forgotten all about the open door and can’t hear you calling him.

I don’t think that any of us would argue the fact that we like to control things - we like to have things our way. Certainly we don’t like it when things are “out of control.” But despite our natural bent toward being control freaks, there is one thing we often don’t even try to control - ourselves!

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Galatians 5:22,23

Temperance is defined as, self-control. The ability to control our temper, our appetites, our passions, our tongue, our facial expressions... this self-control is something that the Holy Spirit would like to produce in us.

I’ve experienced the power of addictions that have complete control over one’s life. After long struggles, I’ve had to admit that I am not able to overcome these things by my own efforts. So many times I have prayed “God, please DO SOMETHING! I have no control over this!” And God is always faithful to deliver me from the enemy’s control. But then He does something that has confused me...

After God delivers us from the addiction, He turns the reigns over to us and invites us to practice self-control. Why doesn’t He just control our tongue for us, or keep our temper for us, or curb our appetites Himself?

I wonder if God’s Holy Spirit produces self-control in our lives for the same reason He produces all the other things: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness... All of these things are God’s own characteristics. Obviously God thinks these traits are worth having, because HE chooses to be this way. It must be “fun”! It must be fun for Him to be self-controlled.

If only I could learn how to have fun controlling myself like I have fun controlling everything and everyone else! If only I could learn to be temperate (self-controlled).

How kind of God to offer His Holy Spirit who can produce such changes in our lives!

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Galatians 5:22,23