Self-Control . . . or something else?

Jodie has been teaching a Bible study on the fruits of the Spirit with the girls at our church here in Tulear. It’s been interesting, because often the names for the fruits don’t translate exactly the same in English as in Malagasy. For example, the word for what the English Bible calls “faithfulness” is also used to mean “righteousness” in Malagasy . . . so each week we had to sort of process through what vocabulary we needed and how it might make sense (or not).

Last week we were on the last of the fruits, what we have in the English Bible as “self-control”. Jodie had checked other references using that word, and it seemed consistent with the English. Just to be safe, though, her first question was, “What does self-control mean, in your own words?”

As the girls offered examples, we knew we were in trouble. :) They described times when you would feel jealous, but instead you foster contentment in your heart, or when you would feel discouraged, but instead accept God’s plan.

At first, we were totally baffled. What could possibly be the connection between these examples and our English understanding? But then someone gave an example that shed a little light. She described going clothing shopping with her sister, knowing that she herself had plenty of clothes. She knew she needed to only shop for her sister. But, when she saw all the nice clothes, she began to want them, and had to keep self-controlling her heart not to long for them, but to focus on her sister’s needs.

Now it was starting to make a little sense. We would probably use “self-control” in that situation as well . . . but we would mean that we had self-control in the final action of choosing not to buy any clothes. She was referring more to the heart-control required to keep her from even desiring to buy the clothes in the first place. In fact, the Malagasy word, where the English Bible says “self-control”, has the word “heart” in it.

This was really interesting to me. I’ve heard many people preach on how sin begins in our minds and hearts, as does obedience, and read books about meeting wrong thinking with scripture to transform our hearts and actions. We’re taught this over and over, and yet maybe it’s not sinking in because deep down, we still think that the final action is the only thing that matters. We really don’t see a problem with longing after something, dreaming of it, aching for it . . . as long as we don’t actually go and get it when we know we shouldn’t.

But when we do that, the battle is already half-lost, maybe more than half. Over and over Scripture tells us that it is the heart He cares about.

Let’s take not just our actions, but our desires, and submit them to Him. Let’s become people so saturated by His Word, His way of thinking, and the desire for Him, that we’re hardly even tempted to do something against His will. I don’t want a heart that longs for all kinds of things, but in the end exerts rigid self-control and goes His way. I want a heart that delights in him, and that is soft and moldable and trusting, like putty in His hands. Maybe “heart-control” is a better translation than “self-control” after all.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21