Self Control

I'm forever lecturing myself.

Fine, I talk to myself in general. Hey, it who can be better for conversation? You can only argue as long as you can keep coming up with rebuttals. And no matter what, you always win. It's a pretty sweet deal, really.

Anyway, as I was saying, I lecture myself quite a bit. Like when I open the freezer and the music swells as a perfect halo of light frames the seductive curve of the ice cream carton.

I will have self control. I will have self control.

Or maybe when I launch Lord of the Rings Online and there's a high end raid about to start. It's going to take a few hours to complete. I will have self control. The raid goes well, very well in fact. And they want to know if I am up for another run. Glancing at the clock, I tell myself that I will have self control. I will have self control. I will have - "OK! Just a quick Bio break and I'll be ready to go!!"

 {-_-}

I will have self control.

I will have self control when I look at that lovely, golden, smooth stick of butter.

I will have self control when I want to sit on the couch and stare at Facebook whilst my brain and body rot together in wretched happiness and loathing.

My point is, I'm always telling myself that I will have self control. But the reality is, I've already got self control. It's not something that I have to get. I'm not a slave to my will or lack thereof. I already have bucket loads of it. You want to know how I know?


Paul told me so. Mmmhmm. We're good friends, Paul and I. At least he talks a lot and I try my best to tune him out. Usually what he has to say hits a little too close to home. Like this: 
          

          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 

          Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions
         and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                              Galatians 5:22-25

Did you catch that? "But the fruit of the Spirit is..." 
Not "will be."
Not "you'll someday get______." 
Not even "if you pray really, really hard maybe someday you can be like a monk in Tibet and have super human self control." 


It is. The fruit of the Spirit is self control. And I've already got that. So, by the same token, I already have all the self control I need.


How beautiful. Another gift. You know, the more I dig into scripture, the less I feel like a victim and the more I feel like a bit of spoiled brat. A princess, if you will.

And that's really cool since I have always loved princesses.