2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.
Paul was no slouch in the oration department. His words are like a battle cry! Or at least a scripture reference you'd put at the bottom of your email signature or on the back of a youth group t-shirt. These words he spoke to Timothy should give you confidence - lift your head! We aren't called to be weak or scared. We are called to victory! But if this is true, and I believe it is, then why are so many of us quick to feel that weakness or fear? Because we forget the truth. Next time you read a headline or hear news from your middle schooler about the ways of the world, remember these words of St. Paul to Timothy.
But hang on a second...before you go off and print business cards (does anyone use business cards anymore?) touting your newfound confidence, let's read till the end of the verse. God gave us a spirit of POWER! woo hoo! Awesome. Let's conquer the world! And LOVE! Yes! I love love! It's really... loving and stuff! And SELF CONTROL… wah wah. Self-control. A total downer! It's like we are shouting at the beginning of the verse and whispering at the end. I'm cool with God empowering me to love and of course I'm good with the power thing, but why should we be excited about self-control? Can I leave that off the first run of those business cards?
Here's why we should be excited about self-control. Self-Control is the fruit of the Spirit that allows us to embrace our humanity while striving to become saints. It means we don't have to STOP being ourselves! It's not "other version of you"-control.
We are like cars that have rugged tires, a powerful engine and top-of-the-line breaks. And God made us to be awesome cars! He doesn't want us to all be the same make and model. But without the driver (self-control), a car can be either useless or very dangerous. Practicing self-control acknowledges that we see the temptations of the world but choose the better way. And it's more than a Nancy Reagan-esque "Just say no". It's choosing grace. It's choosing Christ. Exercising self-control does just give us a gold-star for the day; it glorifies God.
So don't skip that last part of the verse. Don't even whisper it. Shout it as loudly as you do the start. Because SELF-CONTROL! is what enables us to rise above the rest, point others to Christ, all while being the amazing, unique person God created us to be!
