But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

Today marks the the final post for our blog devo series on the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We have more good stuff coming your way in November (Lifestyle Thanksgiving), December (all things Christmas!) and in 2009 (purposefully vague…you’ll just have to wait and see!).

Self-control is a good subject on which to close. Honestly, I like the word. Self-control implies that I have some. Control, that is. Whether a result of my history or just part of my personality, I like to feel in control (dare I say I need it???). Chaos scares me, and I slip into an easy panic if life is beyond my ability to manage. My insecurity meter hits the roof and everyone around me pays for it.

I’m a roll-my-sleeves-up-and-tackle-any-project person. I welcome any challenge as long as doesn’t leave my world spinning out of control. Therefore, the word "self-control" sounds like my kind of fruit.

UNTIL I unpack the events of the past few weeks. The comments I made and shouldn’t have. The conversations I initiated which should’ve never been started. The verbal vomit I spewed in a moment of frustration. The unforgiveness I nurtured in my heart, and the retaliation fantasy I played out in my mind (yes, I have a sinister side). I may be disciplined in many areas, but honest self-eval reveals I’m really NOT "in control" of my flesh. I am a woman who is always just a few small decisions away from major disaster. Though I desperately want to believe I am ultimately good and righteous, I have teetered close enough to the edge of destruction to know better.

That’s why self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and not a "Fruit of Michele". True self-control is beyond me. It is a challenge bigger than I am equipped to tackle. The fruit I bear of my own rolled-up sleeves is nice, but fleeting at best. And, quite honestly, my flesh pulls me down a slippery slope of carnality every day. There really is no point to being anything but transparent here: I’m out of control. Paul agreed:

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. Romans 7:18b-19

Whether we’re talking about the fruit of love, joy, peace or even self-control, we will always far short of the ideal without a working of the Spirit. That’s the whole point of this devo series: to consciously allow the Spirit of the Living God greater access to our everyday moments. The Spirit then becomes our solid footing on the slippery slope, allowing us to climb higher and stronger than would be otherwise possible.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17a

Amen!

I think it’s safe to say as women we often feel guilty that we are not doing enough. And dare I say we use busyness as a measuring stick to compare ourselves to others? I will admit that I do. However, I’m sure someone is watching me and making the same comparisons. My neighbors probably wonder how our garage door stays on the track given how much I open and close it each day because of my coming and going to this and that. I can’t tell you when the hectic life began for me, but I do wonder where in all this I lost the ability of self control when it comes to time.

I am reading a book called, Finding Your Purpose as a Mom, by Donna Otto. This book, among other topics, addresses the very subject of busyness. On how our grandmothers and mothers lived, Otto says, “Time flowed and we flowed with it. People worked of course, but the emphasis was on the doing, not getting it done and moving immediately to something else.”[i]

We have such a timeless example in Jesus during his 33 years on earth. His ministry was about pursuing and building relationships. His focus was eternal. He wanted everyone to come to know him as their personal Lord and Savior. When reading scripture I never get the feeling Jesus rushed from one task to the next. I don’t picture him running from city to city exhausted and out of breath, or rolling his eyes when the disciples weren’t on time. I don’t picture him tapping his fingers and being impatient while buying his lunch in the marketplace of Jerusalem. He understood the concept of balancing time and creating boundaries with people. Jesus rested in the fact that time and order was his Father’s idea in the first place. Even during the throws of a violent storm, Jesus was found sleeping.

“Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’" Matthew 8:24 – 25

Do you feel that way sometimes? Do you feel like you are drowning in the midst of daily tasks while life moves by at warp speed? We can’t help the tech-savvy culture we live in. The message of our rushed culture is “get it done now,” and we have every tool at our fingertips to make that happen. There is not a lot of room for interruptions, slowing down, or allowing God’s timing on things.

One of my favorite passages is Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Not only does this scripture bring comfort in the midst of busyness, but it is packed with instructions. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” he says. You see Jesus wants us to wear a yoke that is easy and not heavy. He wants us to move along freely in our day to day life, not weighed down by all we have to get done. He wants us to learn from him and then follow his example.

Easier said than done right? The above mentioned book gives great practical advice on how to bring order to a chaotic life, but one piece of advice that really spoke to me was this: “Think about what you are trading off to keep up with today’s culture? Is all the stuff in your life really worth the time you must invest in it?” Donna Otto.[ii]

This topic of busyness is an intimidating one to address, but I have recently come to a point where I am tired of sprinting through my days without feeling like anything I’ve done is for a greater purpose—an eternal purpose. As I’ve grappled with this topic, the words to Chris Tomlin’s “How Great is Our God” song came to mind:

“Age to age he stands. And time is in his hands. Beginning and the end. Beginning and the end.”[iii]

[i] Finding Your Purpose as a Mom p. 92, Donna Otto, 2004, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene OR

[ii] Finding Your Purpose as a Mom p.97, Donna Otto, 2004, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene OR

[iii] www.christomlin.com, How Great is Our God lyrics, Arriving album