"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."
Proverbs 17:27-28
Our Bible study topic this week is self-control. Now there's a fruit of the spirit that takes some time to ripen.
On Saturday night, Missy, our basset hound, found a bag of chocolate chips that were in her reach. She tore into the bag and ate over a pound of chocolate. Toxic! I spent the rest of the night rushing her to the vet, picking up a carpet steamer and trying to put things back together again.
She came home from the vet a humbler, more cautious dog. Lesson learned, right? Wrong. Now that she knows delicious things come hidden in plastic bags, we have to put garbage bags, potato sacks, even book bags out of her reach.
How many times have I come out of a situation saying lesson learned only to let myself fall back into the same toxic situations again and again. When do I learn that the purging is more painful than actually avoiding the temptation in the first place? Oh Lord, may your spirit fill me with all of its fruits.
No comments:
Post a Comment