The list could go on, for sure, but I want to keep this post in positiveity land, not "am I really that powerless" land. SELF-CONTROL: THE DEFINITION"Self-control is the ability to govern ourselves in righteousness. When we are able to control ourselves, we increase our self-esteem and our ability to help build God’s kingdom on earth" (Self Control 1). "The ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations" (Google Dictionary). This is one of those times where Google and God are in sync. The ability to control oneself...in difficult situations...allows us to increase our self-esteem and our ability to help build God's kingdom on earth...by being where He needs us to be when He needs us to be there.
I see a couple of connecting themes in all of these suggestions. First, meditate and delay. Don't allow yourself to express your first destructive reaction (such as reaching for brownie #2). Take a moment, pray, and fill your mind with other positive thoughts. The second connection I saw is how important physical activity is to helping us develop self-control over a situation. I know that once I get to the gym and start working out, I feel better than I feel after sitting on the couch for 2 hours binge watching a show. Get up, get moving, and feel better! Lastly, forgiveness of yourself and others. This is huge! How many times have I beaten myself up for those times when I lacked self-control? At least 9,689 (but who's counting, right?) Allow yourself to be human, to make mistakes. Then, get up, and start again. Along this same vein, allow others to be human, to slip up, and to make mistakes. Remember, we are all in this life together and we are all just doing the best we can do. We have the best example of self-control in our Savior Jesus Christ. He was hungry after fasting for 40 days when Satan came to him and tempted him to turn a rock into bread. Did the Savior give in to the temptation? No. He said, "Get thee hence, Satan." He knew that His mission was greater than any satisfaction He would get from eating bread when He was starving. Although we will never perfect the virtue of self-control in this life, we can have perfect moments in exercising self-control. We can celebrate those moments and allow them to mold us into better people. We can remember those moments when we are struggling with self-control, and above all else, we can remember our Savior and Redeemer who has promised us that if we "pray always" we "may come off conqueror" and "conquer Satan" (D7C 10:5). Let's do this. Brownies, Netflix, and Bread...you better watch out. Works Cited:
Bradberry, T. (2014, October 21). The Six Secrets of Self-Control. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/09/17/the-six-secrets-of-self-control/#8f45a242d4e6. Self-control. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/family-home-evening-resource-book/lesson-ideas/self-control?lang=eng. Self-Control. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/self-control.
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