One of the childhood rules every kid hears about is, "Don't play with fire, or you will get burned." I was one of those kids who were fascinated with the science of fire. Or, maybe I just liked to play with it to see how it worked.
That all ended one day when I was burning trash and while messing around, I ended up burning the inside of my left arm at the elbow bend. I still have the scar, although it is barely visible today.
My folks never knew about that, because I was embarrassed for getting burned while doing something stupid. But, that principle of "play with fire, get burned" is something that is so applicable in every area of our lives.
We get ourselves into great trouble when we ignore the warnings and start messing around with danger. This is an easy concept to grasp if we are talking about stuff like heavy machinery, hazardous chemicals, or even fire. But, many times we play with hidden dangers -- hazardous materials that don't come with warning labels, or your mother's counsel.
The hidden dangers I am writing about are the kind that mess up our lives, our relationships, and our connection to God. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul urges the Christian believers to live by the "fruits of the spirit." The last one in that list may very well be the one that our culture today struggles with the most -- self control.
Throughout this year, I will be blogging from time to time about ways we can re-establish self control in our lives. Without it, we will continue, as a society, to careen toward destruction.
As we start a new year, what are some ways that we can build up self control in our lives?
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