Moderation

Posted by Sallie | 0 comments

Moderation. Now, that is a word we don’t like to hear very much in our current society! We have super size value meals at fast food joints. We have super sized home improvement centers. We have mega-churches in every mega-metropolis where we can worship. We have mega-coop clubs for our homeschooled children to participate in. We have, we have, we have.

AH, you get the picture! We have everything imaginable, in every form imaginable, in every size imaginable and it is all there for the taking. But, is it good for us? And, more importantly, what does the Bible tell us about moderation?

I know from personal experience that the super size meals are just gonna add a good super size portion to my waistline. Now, my exercise can’t be in moderation because I need it in high power. I need moderation in my food so that my body is a temple that does not cause people to look down on or blame God for the illnesses I’ve brought on myself.

My children have attended schools with upwards of 45 students in their classes. They learned so little during these school years and were always into trouble for some such thing or another. We brought them home to learn when we realized they needed moderation from what they were learning and whom they were learning it with. After beginning our homeschool journey, we joined a co-op,  and that was nice for a time but then it seemed to take over our whole life as well. We needed moderation in scheduling. Yes, I even think we needed moderation from socialization!

I was walking through our local Lowe’s the other day and a mom was there with her young child. The mom was talking on the phone with what sounded like her husband while at the same time fussing at her little girl for not keeping up, for mumbling when talking, for whining and crying, and for walking in the way of my cart. Honestly, the little girl did NONE of those things but the mom was too busy to notice. Mom needed some moderation.

Using moderation in all things means we are practicing self control and temperance. Our very human nature wants to pull us away from God but with moderation and self control, we can avoid that.

Proverbs 25:28 says “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.” Proverbs 16:32 balances the other side of the coin out with “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

Slow to anger… using moderation and self control in our thought processes allows us to keep from reaching that point with anger where there is no turning back; that line of sin drawn in the sand that once crossed is crossed and many times with words said and actions done that cause irreparable harm. I like the Amplified Bible translation of Galatians 5:23 “Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].” When you have gentleness and self-control nothing can be said wrong against you.

Ladies… fellow homeschooling mama’s… friends, remember to guard your heart and your desires within you so that you may practice self-control and moderation. The busy holiday season is just getting started and you will be faced at every turn with a reason to let yourself go crazy. But you don’t have to! Do everything in moderation so that you do not lose control. Let us strive to set the example of a good and godly parent for our children.

Remember the prize you fight for is not a temperate one of crowning glory here on earth (1Corinthians 9:25) but an eternal crown with Christ Jesus, our King, in Heaven.

Sallie is an off-again, on-again homeschooling mom to her 4 children, ranging from elementary to high school. In her writings, she discusses the challenges of homeschooling a child with disabilities and offers insight to those who sometimes feel all alone in a round hole world. Please visit her at Seaside Tales