"Like a city that is broken down and without walls [leaving it unprotected] Is a man who has no self-control over his spirit [and sets himself up for trouble].” Proverbs 25:28 AMP
Big lessons can come in brief moments. Today when glancing out my window, I saw a man walking his dog. When the dog spotted another dog some yards away, both dogs got pretty fired up – I don’t know why – but their owners had them on leashes, and nothing bad happened.
But one dog was still riled. He was jumping and leaping frantically. Though the dog was leashed, his owner was struggling to control him. I could see that leading the dog to wherever they supposed to go was going to be a real challenge.
That incident reminded me of how bad things can get when we choose to let our emotions run wild. Think about a time when someone made an ugly comment to you, and you “went off”. Or when you gave a customer representative a piece of your mind after getting bounced around by a company’s voicemail for the umpteenth time.
Sometimes, the small stuff can set off the biggest blowup.
The problem is that when we don’t control our emotions, we disable ourselves. We don’t think clearly. We are distracted and liable to act rashly, doing things we’ll later regret.
Emotional chaos also prevents us from moving forward. When our emotions are jumping and bucking, the Lord can’t lead us. No progress is possible until we calm down and let Him lead us instead of our feelings.
If you find self-control to be challenging, ask the Lord to help you develop this very important fruit of the Spirit, so you can live in strength secured by the One who is Master of All.
Blessings,
Minister Ann Pinkney
