SELF-CONTROL

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” – Galations 5:22-23

In a city such as Dhaka, almost everything is out of my control. Taking a walk down the street, for instance, helps me realize that I need to adjust to my surroundings or else my surroundings will run me over.

Cars and rickshaws have the right of way on the street, though pedestrians line the fringes like armies of ants. Gaping sewer holes force walkers to choose their steps carefully. One must watch their step, but also keep their head up to honor the swirl of traffic that demands submission. Car horns form an ugly symphony – surround sound. But the especially loud horns (right beside you) warn you to jump instinctually aside to safety. Horns often just mean, “Here I come. Here I am. Now I’m over here.” Using horns is standard, like using blinkers in the US. It’s for our safety. Rather thoughtful, wouldn’t you say?

One of my teammates who was carrying her one year old in a sling on her hip was walking on the road side when a rickshaw going the opposite direction somehow snagged her sling and forced her to quickly and awkwardly backpedal until she managed to unhook it from the rickshaw. We were thankful the rickshaw didn’t cut her child or pull them both down to the ground amidst traffic.

There’s no way of controlling all of this. But by God’s grace, I can learn to patiently control my response to my environment. I need to be observant and aware of things around me and I must be intentional about how I react to them. When a horn blasts right beside me, I can either curse and scowl or I can practice self-control, patience and peace. When rickshaws whip in front of me, forcing me to stutter step as sweat blurs my vision, I can be bitter in my frustration or I can give my frustrations to God.

If I’m going to make positive change in this world then I must be the first to be transformed in small things that demand self-control. This is a life-long process, and it’s by God’s grace.