It's ten o'clock in the evening and I am headed for
bed. But, I detour through the kitchen, seeking a bed-time snack. A
jumbo-sized piece of chocolate cake beckons me. Five minutes later, the
cake is gone and I am feeling a little over full.
For many of us, the daily struggle with temptation centers
on food ---- the temptation of fats and sweets that are so readily and
effortlessly available. Human nature probably hasn't changed much over
the centuries, but the landscape of temptation surely has changed.
In the future, for more and more of us, our greatest
challenge may be managing our own appetites and addictions in an environment of
expanding freedom and affluence. Technology is a leading culprit. From
refrigeration to credit cards to automobiles to the internet, technology makes
it possible for more and more people to live surrounded by appealing stimuli in
greater array.
The good news is that the problem of self-control is hardly
a new one, and we can learn a lot from those who have wrestled with it before
us. There are some tricks we can use to help us be strong, but we must
provide the needed inner strength, and not all of us are equally endowed.
Self-control is the ability to override impulses in
favor of longer-term goals. The heart of the problem is always the
same: The conflict between short-term rewards, which we seem hard-wired to
value heavily, and our longer-term goals. A pan of just-baked chocolate
brownies sitting right in front of us, in other words, is simply a lot more
compelling than the long-term desire to be slim. And we understand,
perhaps instinctively, that one brownie ---- or one cigarette, or one more
drink, or just one hour of procrastination ---- will have no material effect in
the long run. Except, to some extent that first exception leads to
another, and we eventually find ourselves some place we never intended to be.
Today's culture promotes independence and non-conformity,
and celebrates a world full of options. Every day, people make
innumerable choices ---- from what to order at the corner coffee shop, to which
of their 263 cable TV channels to watch on the weekend. With so many
choices, the guiding principle for decision making often becomes "what's
in it for me, right now?" In a 24/7 world of endless opportunities,
obligations and information, many adults now base their time management on
immediate, tangible rewards. So, for example, they will no longer
dedicate one hour to worship on Sunday mornings ---- something that would
really promote their long-term goals of spiritual growth and peace.
Instead, some people choose the New York Times and a cup
of coffee. Others choose their child's soccer game or swim meet.
Some choose the golf course, or a bike ride or the Farmer's Market. They
forget that we now have an agreeable alternative worship service at 5 p.m.,
called The WAVE Worship Service. So much for the
long-term goals of spiritual growth and peace!
Support from other people will always be essential for
making our self-control effective. The support of our long-term goals by
others is something that we can find in church worship. If we do not find
it on Sunday mornings, or at the WAVE Service, perhaps we need to sharpen the
long-term goals we have for ourselves ---- sharpen what we are seeking, by
becoming more fully involved and integrated into the church community.
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These thoughts are brought to you by the CPC Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your spiritual growth this
fall.
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