This week’s Fruit of the Spirit is self-control. When I think about self-control I also think about temptation. And as I think about it more, I often give temptation way too much power. 

Throughout my life I have said too many times, “It’s too hard.” It's too hard to get up early because the temptation to stay in bed is too great. It's too hard to make a healthy food choice because the temptation to eat the fudge cake is too strong. It's too hard to sign up for that new activity because the temptation to stay home, safe and comfortable is easier. Too often I make decisions in life with temptation in control, allowing superficial comfort to win. But what if I intentionally shifted my attention and switched things up? What if I stopped giving temptation power and instead always remembered where my true power and comfort come from? 

1 Corinthians 10:13 says “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”  God is faithful and will provide a way to move through temptation and rest in self-control. Temptation can sound like a strong, hard word but often for me it appears in ordinary, quiet moments. It can be choosing judgment over grace, procrastination over responsibility or choosing my own wants over what God is calling me to do. Self-control is not about being perfect or never struggling. It is about being aware that we have a choice in how we respond. Sometimes the way out that God provides for us may be a simple moment to pause, take a breath and say a prayer. The temptation to react may still be there, but a moment of pause can help us move in a better, more fruitful direction. 

Self-control is a wonderful Fruit of the Spirit and we do not have to develop it and manage it alone. We can invite God into the small and big choices that we make and this will lead to us living a better life together in faith. Each time we choose faithfulness over impulse we strengthen that fruit within us.