The Superior Value of Patience and Self-Control

Today's reading in Proverbs 16 has alot to say about how we talk and what we say, which is a recurring theme in all of the Proverbs. I was commenting to a friend earlier tonight about the fact that when I'm reading through the day's chapter, I often come across a verse that 'jumps up'...which is to say, I feel like it's the object lesson I need to ponder and write about for that particular day.

More often than not, I don't want to write about the topic that seems to jump out at me, and I say to myself, "I don't want to write about that...let's see what else is here that I can write about..." Invariably, the same theme or lesson will appear in another verse somewhere later in the chapter, and the original impression will be reinforced!

Tonight, I was impressed by this verse, but didn't want to write about it:

"Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city."

Here's why I found this statement to be so significant -- during the time that these Proverbs were written, there were few roles in society that were considered more important than that of a warrior, and few skills more valuable than the ability to take a city. In that ancient culture, life was very dangerous, and warriors were much needed to protect the society, and the city itself. The warrior and his skills were extremely valuable...their presence a matter of life and death to the other, weaker members of the community.

And yet, the writer of the Proverb tells us that patience and self-control are the higher virtues to which we should aspire.

When I read this verse, I thought of what I've heard teachers say about Jesus, and the definition of the word "meek." To put it briefly, meekness translates as "power under control." It's very often misunderstood to be a synonym for weakness, but that isn't what it means at all. In the book of James, there is a section in chapter 3 about the subject of self-control, and he compares it to a bit that you put in a horse's mouth...the bit is a very small item, but it controls a very large animal.

I keep coming back to something Jim Rohn said, and that was that we need to "educate our emotions." This doesn't mean you that you should, or even need to deny your emotions, stuff them, or minimize them...but it does mean that you need to "sit them down" and educate them about how to cope with life in a healthy and mature manner.

Personally, I have a very checkered past when it comes to the subject of patience and self-control. As as young person, I was never known for my patience or self-control; and while it is somewhat better at age 49 than it was at age 14, it is still a challenging area for me. I would say that when it comes to the subject of patience and self-control, I am definitely UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

So if you share this particular struggle, and patience or self-control eludes you too...remember the wisdom of Jim Rohn, and begin the process of educating your emotions. If nothing else about this blog makes sense, I hope this little nugget will be helpful, because the idea that I can educate my emotions has surely been helpful to me!