An Act of Self-Control
Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Exodus 33:11a
What an act of self-control!
When I was teaching a women’s class that had a program for toddlers, I went in to visit the children one morning. The teacher had brought in a crown as an object lesson for the children. After they had marched in, sang a song, and done a little exercise to “get the wiggles out”, she opened her Bible and set the crown down in front of her. As she started to tell the story a little boy reached for the crown. She stopped and said he could not touch it yet, when it was time she would pass it around.
As she continued to teach he reached out his right hand for the crown. Just as he was about to touch it he would lift his left hand, grab his right wrist and jerk it back away from the crown. He waited a minute, never taking his eyes off the crown, then he reached for it again. Just as he got to it, he grabbed his wrist with his other hand and pulled it back. The teacher patiently continued teaching as he did it two or three more times. He never took his eyes off the crown but he never touched it until she permitted it.
He was so tempted to pick it up he was reaching for it but he was so determined to obey the rules he would physically remove the right hand with the left hand. I remember being very impressed as it was a little boy not known for exercising self-control. He was working hard at it! I’m pretty sure he did not hear much of the story.
What a great picture this little guy paints for us of the one who is repeatedly tempted by the same sinful behaviors. It takes a real act of our will to keep from falling into a behavior or habit that we know is not right for us.
Many temptations are the same ones that have been calling men and women for years. Food, bad books, TV, pornography, alcohol, drugs, wasting time on useless things. You probably have some that are all your own. One of the biggest temptations almost all of us face these days is the beeping, buzzing, vibrating, (rarely) ringing phones we carry everywhere we go.
Like my little friend, when the time is right, there is nothing sinful or rude about checking a text, email or Facebook. When we are facing the phone more than our family, friends, or business associates in the same room, it is time to reach with the other hand, put the phone away, and lift our eyes to meet those of whomever we are with.
That little boy was so preoccupied with the crown that he completely missed the lesson the Lord had for him that morning. He was not interacting with the teacher or the other children as long as that crown was in front of him. It was more important than anyone or the teaching that morning.
Does that describe you or me when our children, our husbands, or our friends are sitting close by longing for us to take our eyes off our phones and pay some attention to them like the teacher wanted the boy to pay attention to the Bible story? Do you suppose Moses was even tempted to look away from the Lord while speaking with him face-to-face? What are we saying about the importance of those we’re with or our work or our studies when all we can pay attention to is our phone?
The little boy was willing to resist the temptation, are we?