Self-Control n.
control or restraint of oneself or one’s actions, feelings, etc.
syn. self-discipline, self-restraint, willpower, levelheadedness

Today’s Verse: Proverbs 25:28

• Losing self-control leaves you as helpless as a city without a wall. [CEV]
• Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. [NIV]
• A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out. [The Message]
• He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. [KJV]

Biblical Connotation:
During Biblical times, if a city was without a wall it was without defenses and could easily be destroyed from the inside.

Contemporary Connotation:
If we are without self-control, we destroy ourselves from the inside.

Journal Response:
A lack of self-control leads us me to destroy myself. Without self-control I am vulnerable to every whim or want that tickles my fancy.

1.) Spending Habits:
I managed to control my spending habits, first by exercising the self-control of not looking at shopping ads or television commercials. I learned very quickly that I could live without “impossible to live without” things is I didn’t know they existed. The next thing I did to control my spending habits was to shop with a list that contained only needs. If I picked up an item not on my list I could not put it in my cart until I answered the following questions:

• Can I live without it?
• How will this change my life for the better?
• How will this change my life for the good?
• How will I feel about this next week? Next month? Next year?
• Who am I trying to impress with this purchase?
• What am I willing to sacrifice to have this?
• And finally, if the impulse purchase item in question costs over $20.00, I am not allowed to buy it until I have waited at least 24 hours. If it cost over $100.00, I make myself wait at least 3 days before purchasing — and as a result I most often don’t purchase the item at all.

2.) Impatience:
My first day of school as a brand new teacher I gave myself a lecture on self-control. “You may not be impatient with the students over your own mistakes.” That was a biggie because often frustration — be it with myself, a stubborn bottle top, unexpected delays, or someone else’s behavior — tweaks my temper. I’m human so I’m impatient, that’s to be expected — however, routinely giving in to that impatience and taking it out on others isn’t acceptable behavior. Now when I feel myself growing impatient I have some questions I stop and consider:

• Why am I impatient?
• Is it fixable and who needs to fix it?
• How quickly can it be fixed?
• What is the fairest and easiest way to handle this?
• If it can’t be fixed, how do I work around it?

Generally just asking the questions alleviates the frustration. For some reason petty annoyances that when indulged carry enough power to start a world war, simply dissolve under careful scrutiny. If the frustration does not dissipate, then I have counter measures in place to alleviate the problem; and while one of those methods is confrontation, it generally isn’t a snarl or a growl, but a statement of fact and a suggestion or request. “Johnny, that pencil thumping is getting on my last nerve. Please stop or I am going to get irritated and nasty and I just might cancel recess.” Such steps usually get compliance.

3.) Weight-loss
My current problem is weight-loss.  I already know one of the questions I need to ask myself before I eat is, “Are you really hungry?”  But this one is hard for me.  I have a lifetime of habits and mental conditioning to overcome.  Food is comfort and saftey and belonging.  Food is love.  Where do I get the self-control to break those chains?  Where do I get the motivation to exercise daily?  I decided to start here, with this word study.

~*~

If you have any self-control issues please join me.  Your thoughts, ideas, successes and/or failures are welcome in the comments.  Please stay on topic.

Heavenly Father, please help me as I study self-control to learn to manage every aspect of my life wisely, with thought and deliberation.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

« My Name Is “I Am”
Self-Control – A Word Study – Day 2 »

Tags: self-control, weight-loss

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 9:56 am and is filed under inspirational, Word Study. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.