As a college student, the first week of June was one of my favorite times in the mountains. No, it wasn’t that I had completed a semester and didn’t have to be cramming for an exam. And no, it wasn’t simply because my summer job hadn’t kicked into high gear.
I can sum up my love for this time of year in one word. Strawberries. Better yet, I’ll use two words: Fresh strawberries.
My father grew strawberries in our backyard, which ripened into sun-kissed deliciousness by the first of June. Dad would observe them in May and grow irritable when forest critters would nibble from his fruit store. At just the right moment, Dad would harvest the strawberries and prepare the kitchen to make what he called ‘Strawberry Freezer Jam.’
Tragically, I didn’t care enough about the magic behind the strawberry jam to learn the secret art of freezer jam-making, and I now pine for the taste of my daddy’s tasty strawberry jam. At the time, I delighted in the bountiful harvest and got busy. If I didn’t eat the newly canned jam, someone else would eat it for me.
You can file this next bit under “Confession Is Good for the Soul.”
If there is something delicious in the house, it doesn’t stand a chance. If I want it, I will eat it—end of story. I must acknowledge that I have little self-control for that which my taste buds desire. Thus, the only self-restraint I possess is at the supermarket. Because if it ends up in my cart, it won’t be long for the pantry shelves.
So, when the strawberries were all sugared-up for consumption at the Mathis household in early June, it was all-feast all the time. There have been rumors that a certain young man in the Mathis clan would sit and watch the Atlanta Braves while spooning freshly-made strawberry jam into his mouth like he was eating ice cream.
(The author can neither confirm nor deny this report)
In a surprising twist, strawberries are not the only fruit worthy of our attention. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Paul reminds us of this truth in his letter to the church in Galatia: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
I am embarrassed to tell you that I had forgotten that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. I recall the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, and gentleness. Well, these fruits of the Spirit and strawberries.
But self-control?
Of all the fruits that we could talk about (I’m looking at you, strawberries), self-control needs some renewed attention. We live in a time of indulgence where any self-measurement—whether it concerns what we eat, drink, consume, say, text, and post—is frowned upon. Indeed, discretion may be in order.
We don’t have to say everything we think.
We don’t have to be furious about everything that annoys us.
We don’t have to do everything we desire.
We don’t have to be greedy for more of whatever we want.
We don’t have to be ruled by our passions.
We don’t have to eat the whole jar of freezer jam in one sitting.
Proverbs says it better than I can: “It is not good to eat much honey, or to seek honor on top of honor. Like a city breached, without walls, is one who lacks self-control.” (Proverbs 25:27-28)
Just because we can do something doesn’t mean that we should. Consider the messiness, tension, and hostility in your own life, and you may find that these pain points grow out of excess or over-reach.
Strawberry freezer jam aside, self-control may be the best tonic our souls and relationships need right now.