You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. -I Thessalonians 5:5, 6
I have it in my head that I have to be in control all of the time. Mainly, I feel that way about my emotions. I am always left feeling at a disadvantage if I lose my temper, become upset, or worse, begin to weep. Maybe this latter one troubles me so much because long ago I somehow came to believe that real men don’t cry, or it’s somehow not manly to shed tears. I devoted a lot of energy in my early adult life to not allowing myself to weep under any circumstances. My, am I paying for that now.
I find that these days I will become emotional over situations that years ago would not have affected me that way. I get teary-eyed when I hold my little grandson, I will get weepy when I think about what fine young men my sons are growing into, and when I begin to consider the amazing grace of God – who has poured out His blessings on a sinner like me, then I truly feel some powerful emotions. I would love to be in control of my emotions all of the time, but sometimes some tears can be healthy. Whoever said that men should never cry honestly didn’t understand the depths of human emotion.
Of course, the Word of God speaks of another kind of self-control that is centered on personal conduct and thought processes. We are admonished in scripture to keep our minds alert to anything that might pull us off track and derail our walk with Christ. We are called to walk daily in the light of the Lord Jesus. His light is to radiate from us as a witness of His grace in our lives. As we walk in the light of Christ we give light to a world that for too long has been shrouded by the darkness of sin and evil. Someone has said that rather than curse the darkness we can light a candle. If the light the scripture speaks of is the love of Christ in us, then why not fan that flame into a roaring blaze? And while we’re at it, why not let that blaze catch into all aspects of our lives? The darkness that is all around us is not only pierced, but overcome by that light.
