A Hole in the Wall

<p>Something was eating my flowers. The day before, blooms proudly lifted their heads. Now they were headless stems. I prowled the perimeter of my yard and discovered a rabbit-sized hole in my wooden fence. Bunnies are cute, but the pesky animals can mow down a garden of flowers in minutes.</p> <p>I wonder, might there be &ldquo;intruders&rdquo; shearing off the blooms of God&rsquo;s character in my life? Proverbs 25:28 says, &ldquo;Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.&rdquo; In ancient days, the wall of the city protected it against invasion from enemies. Even a small opening in a wall meant that the entire city lay open to attack.</p> <p>So many of the proverbs are about self-control. &ldquo;If you find honey, eat just enough,&rdquo; wrote the wise man (25:16). Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit that guards us, protecting us from losing ground to impatience, bitterness, greed, and other pests that can intrude and destroy God&rsquo;s harvest in our lives (see Galatians 5:22&ndash;23). Self-control is a healthy-mindedness that watches for the holes in the walls of our lives and keeps them patched.</p> <p>When I inspect the perimeter of my life, I can at times see vulnerable holes. A spot where I give in to temptation over and over. An area of impatience. Oh, how I need the healthy-minded self-control of God in my life to guard me from such intruders!</p>