Resolutions

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” Galatians 5: 22-23

One of the things I like about my job is that every period of struggle is always marked by starting over. If I have a bad day, I get tomorrow. If I have a bad week, there is another one coming on Monday. Even if I have a bad year, January 1st resets everything to zero. That is also true if I have had a great year of sales, January 1st still resets the result. There is something about starting over and having to re-build the result that resonates in me.

Also, every year at this time, most people have some type of goal they want to accomplish, a New Year’s resolution. A common goal is to get healthier, maybe lose weight or exercise. I have tried and failed many times in an effort to do just that, my willpower is weak in this area. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about fruits of the Spirit – Joy, Peace and Patience. While writing that I noticed something that had never hit me before – Self-Control.

It’s funny how the same words from God can mean something different every time. It had never dawned on me to apply biblical Self Control to any effort to accomplish something like eating better. I am not confusing self-control with earning grace. Grace is free and un-earned. I am saying that for the first time I realized that in that area of my life, there is no evidence of fruit. I have only assumed that my lack of self-control with regard to eating or exercise was just the way it is. I think I have been missing the point.

Please understand that I am not saying that all people who weigh more than they want have a lack of faith. I think the church sometimes projects the idea that we have to be thin, wealthy and laughing all the time to demonstrate that our faith has gotten us there. That is not true and is not why I am writing this. This could be applied to being a better father, speaking in my wife’s love language more often, being a better employee or a better friend, saving money – any area.

I am writing because I realized that in this specific area of my life, I have not been looking at it as an opportunity to grow in my faith. If self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and I have not had any self-control regarding something as simple as chocolate, I have been missing the opportunity to grow. I have not let the Holy Spirit into that area of my life. I may have, in fact, allowed that to be a tiny little idol, seemingly mundane, but actually a foothold.

Funny thing about footholds, no one walks up to Mount Everest to take one step. You take the first step to climb the mountain. Accordingly, Satan does not look at a foothold as a stopping point either, he wants the whole mountain. I think, although unintentionally, I have been letting him hang around. He set up camp in my brain and I never thought about it. That has to stop.

Why have I never realized something so simple as chocolate can be a spiritual battle?

Why have I never thought about my “Self” telling my “Flesh” what to do? That really only shuts the fruit of the Spirit out of the equation. Even if I conquer it – my flesh wins, that is not a desirable result. I am called to die to self. The Spirit should be telling my flesh what to do. I haven’t given it to God.

Challenge: First, challenge me. Ask me how this is going. Second, challenge yourself. In what area of your life have you given up a foothold? Willpower is based on human effort and is limited most of the time. Self-control is based on the very Spirit of God. What are you and I willing to let God control?

Rick Claiborn