How are your resolutions holding up if you made them at all?  Statistically, chances are they have waned or you lost sight of them already.  When will power and striving are required to maintain a habit or goal, many do not have the grit to get to the finish line.  At the thought level is where temperance is utilized. It is a word we don’t hear much in our modern vernacular and its lack of use in our thought life is evident in today’s society.  It is missing in action.

By definition the word temperance means self-restraint in action or statement; self-control, self-discipline.  Self is at the root of the problem. On our own we are not always patient enough, resilient enough, or kind enough to check our thoughts before they become words and then actions.  Once the thought is allowed and acted on it is too late to pull it back in. These thoughts unchecked then become habits eventually, which affect our character and down the road, our legacy.

Choices made by the gift of ‘free will’ are powerful!   They affect you and those around you. An autonomous life, choosing as we see fit, was NOT the design behind the gift.  Gifts not used according to their design can become disasters! Our gift of free will was designed to be used in tandem with God, our Creator and His Spirit guiding us from within.

Would you use something that is so powerful without first finding out how its designer intended its purpose? When decisions are made autonomously, their effects can be like an orchestra with no conductor, playing any time, any way they see fit; out of sync with the other players. No one would come to listen and hearing it would be painful!  But, when we view life from God, our Creators’ perspective, we know the love and care He has for all humans and creation and choices seen according to that lense brings harmony. From that perspective we see His excellence in character and desire to be conformed into His image and likeness—the way we were originally designed to be. The result is people living in harmony together.  

Temperance, therefore, is correctly practiced when we take our thoughts captive, align them with Gods word and are followed by actions that reflect His excellence.  It’s a position of rest and peace and living according to Design! That leads to character and disciplines you’ll be proud to own and are always in style and sought after.

So stop striving and start aligning to your truest design!