Discipline and Self-Control
I've been thinking a lot about discipline lately. I know part of the reason is my weekly Weight Watchers meetings. It's also the awareness that I tend to spend too much time playing on the computer. I visit blogs. I play a stupid, addictive game (Ancient Jewels). I frequently miss my early morning prayer times. But the discipline of dieting yields a lot of principles for the disciplines of life. There's nothing wrong with any of the food we eat; the problem lies in quantities. I just have to say "no" to that extra piece of chocolate or the extra slice of bread hot out of the oven. But I find that the more I think about that chocolate in the candy dish, the more I want it. Soon the temptation becomes such strong desire that I find myself giving in. That sounds a little like what James wrote: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted