Self Control

When I was a child, I would bring home from school report cards that accurately informed my parents that I needed improvement in self control. This was no surprise to them. My father tried hard to motivate me to acquire this virtue.  As I have increased in age, and in experience from trial and error, and hopefully also in wisdom, I’ve learned that the only real control is self control and that it must be self-acquired and cannot be completely attained by external motivations. I’ve also learned that self control is not a simple one-and-done check mark in the citizenship section of an elementary school report card, but is a lifelong inner struggle. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu advised the following: “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” I believe that implied in the admonition to “watch” is the need for self control of all these determinators of our eternal soul. An ancient American king and prophet named Benjamin taught his people something similar. “And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are diverse ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them. But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.” Mosiah 4:29-30 God has granted each of us the gift of agency, the right to choose. Therefore each of us is the captain of our own ship and responsible for choosing the port to which we sail. The storms of life will inevitably arise to attempt to push us off course, but ultimately each of us determines whether we make needed course corrections to achieve our ultimate destination, with the crucial assistance of the Lord.