Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

Proverbs 25:28, NIV

When I was four years old and my brother was seven, Santa Clause brought us a pair of boxing gloves for Christmas. In my estimation, you couldn't have gotten a better present for my brother or a worse one for me if you had tried. I'm not sure if this was a part of some sort of diabolical plan to rid me from the family once and for all or if Mom and Dad were just tired of having to do all of the discipline themselves, but whatever the case, I was sure that the arrival of the "gift" did not portend well for me at all.

In retrospect, I came to realize that Dad was just trying to get us to learn that ancient art of self-defense, and that it was in a strange way an act of love rather than the "puredee-old" meanness that I had viewed the gift. But, like so many lessons we are given when young, the actual awareness of its benefit was lost on me for quite a number of years. In their defense, they also had a gift under the tree which turned out to be one of my favorites of all-time: A genuine Bozo punching bag! And it wasn't one of those cheapies that you had to hang from a hook either. It was a full-size inflatable bag in the shape of Bozo the clown with a weight on the bottom. If you punched him hard enough, the back of his head would actually touch the floor before springing back up to give you another shot.

So, in a subtle sort of a way, the gifts were actually therapy - the gloves for my brother, who would pummel me without mercy, and the Bozo bag for me. After Steve would give me a lesson in self-defense, I would go teach Bozo a lesson or two of my own.

It is within this lesson in self-defense that my parents taught that I could understand what God does for us in a more important way. The passage above compares a man without self-control to a city with broken down walls. In the days of Solomon when this proverb was written, the walls of the city were the most important line of defense for the people who lived there. If a city's walls were strong, any enemy would have to break them down in order to get to the people inside. While they were attempting this, the people on the wall could pick them off from above. As long as the wall stood, the people inside that wall had a tremendous advantage, but once the walls were breached, the advantage immediately went over to the invaders. 

This is a simple lesson, but it packs a powerful lesson! Through Solomon's inspired writings, God is letting us know just how important self-control is. We can see it in example after example, too. A man who cannot control his temper is eventually going to transform from a seven year old with a magnificent advantage over all four year old opponents, to a mere clown who is going to take his share of unnecessary beatings. A man who cannot say no to addictive substances is eventually going to become a slave to them. A man who cannot control his passion will live a life of fornication and adultery that will pollute everyone who comes close to him.

The list goes on and on, but we can see the point. God is not trying to be cruel when he tells us to maintain our self-control; rather, He is protecting us. He would spare us from the consequences that such breaches of discipline and control can cause, if we would only listen. The lessons of life are often difficult, but they are necessary. A four year old needs to learn to handle himself so that he won't be a punching bag for every bully who comes along is one lesson I learned from the boxing gloves, but it wasn't until later that I learned the true art of self-defense. It wasn't until I learned to control my tongue that I stopped taking so many unnecessary beatings. It wasn't until I stopped yielding to peer pressure that I learned the lesson of avoiding unpleasant consequences that so often come from going along with the crowd.

There are countless other lessons that you and I have learned through the years, but you see the point. A person who practices self-control doesn't need to spend so much time learning the art of self-defense, because they avoid making enemies in the first place. It is true that we have to take certain stands in life - this is part of self-control when you think about it, for there are times you need a strong wall of determination to do right between you and your enemies who want you to do the wrong thing. But a pleasant truth of succeeding in life is found in the truth that a man with self-control doesn't make a lot of enemies in the first place. 

Do you have self-control?