Improving Life
Harvesting the Fruit of the Spirit
by
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Self-control
Flexibility
Oil Painting of Self Control (end in 79)
“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
Albert Einstein
It is always easy to have self-control when everything is peaceful and the sea is quite and smooth. It is when the sea is stormy that self-control is mostly needed. It is difficult to exhibit self-control ‘in the moment’ of distraught or anger. A person chooses the manner in which he will respond to any situation. Unfortunately, being in the moment of being upset, a person’s mental ability to make appropriate responses is compromised.
A person needs to be ‘flexible’ when responding in this type of situation. A person does this by being aware that there is real potential for unwanted behavior on his part and step mentally away from the situation. Therefore, the most self-control comes in the middle of the storm by not responding without the ability to think clearly. Be patient and wait for the proper time to respond when you can respond with all the fruits of the spirit in mind. This will create a very positive experience in stead of a potentially a devastating reality.
Self-control is necessary in every situation that evokes strong emotion. It will be easier to elicit self-control if a person always has the other fruits of the spirit in mind. I have developed rubrics for a person to record and see their progress in developing the ability to implement these personal traits. A person’s continual awareness of his success in developing the ability to effectively implement these traits will definitely make life better and enjoyable.
The ability to have self-control seems a great benefit to health and psychological improvement. When a person thinks about it, being upset at someone else hurts you more than it does that person. Self-control will promote a person’s wellness improvement until death.
Self-control can be a very difficult characteristic to obtain. While in a therapy program for a traumatic brain injury, it was evident that part of my rehabilitation was to develop self-control in response to others. I had great difficulty with self-control after my brain injury. Self-control is an ongoing challenge for most people. The cognitive rehabilitation program I participated in after my car collision dealt with behavior issues of self-control. Dr. Johnson in his TBI Guide advocated a time out of a minimum of fifteen minutes when feeling out of control. My neuro-psychologist during my rehabilitation while in the hospital called it “flexibility.” I often participated in several small groups where a person was given the opportunity to develop flexibility skills.
A person can more easily exhibit self-control when everything smooth. It is in moments of stress and disagreement that flexibility comes into greater focus. The oil painting ‘Flexibility’ reflects what it looks like when a person is trying to exhibit self-control when the sea is stormy. This shows how difficult it is. A person is much better able to show control by waiting. This is an important trait to obtain. When a person is able to show self-control in response to turmoil of life, healing and improvement is certainly more likely to take place. The ability to obtain self-control in all situations will lead to the traits of peace and patience. All fruits of the spirit end support each other.
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About the Book
The purpose of this book is to present a way that a person may always have improvement in the quality of life through bringing attention to living the characteristics of the “Fruit of the Spirit” established in Galatians 5:22-23.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
There are suggested ideas for implementing the traits of the Fruit of the Spirit in daily life. Charts are provided to record progress on this implementation for personal reflection and/or small group discussion.
A person leans on faith in moments of crisis. If a person consciously makes the characteristics of the “fruit of the spirit” an ongoing response to all situations in life, he will become stronger in his faith and get the best out of life. There is unlimited power when a person has a faith that results in these qualities.
Improvement in a person’s life can be outward; that is, seen by others. It can also be experienced by the way a person thinks or psychological improvement in a person's personal outlook on life. This can happen, even if there is limited physical improvement; although many studies support the fact that an optimistic outlook has a definite positive impact on physical healing. Faith implies a positive attitude that believes one will always improve, even if very small, until the day one dies.
In summary, every person can continually improve his or her life by living by the qualities of the “Fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When you make these qualities a part of everyday life, life becomes the best it can be. This book is an explanation of each characteristic with the challenge and opportunity to implement each as a part of a person’s experience. There is also an original oil painting by Dr. Jarvis to represent each characteristic.
About the Author
Dr. Jarvis was in a car collision in 2000 and suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury. He was in a coma for five weeks, punctured a lung, had a lacerated liver, experienced a brain stem twist, broke all fourteen ribs, fractured C1-C4 vertebrae, and spent a total of one and a half years in hospitals in
Prior to this injury, Dr. Jarvis was a music teacher, principal, and college professor of Education. Dr. Jarvis wrote a book, Snail to the Finish-Leaning on Faith in 2006 which tells How to Get Through Adversity with Maximum Success. He has also published numerous articles about Faith. Dr. Jarvis has been interviewed several times on public television in
In addition, Dr. Jarvis has lectured at many Magic Conventions on the use of magic as a therapy tool in rehabilitation for people with Disabilities. He is a member of the International Fellowship of Christian Magicians and has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians since 1969.
Dr. Jarvis presently is a motivational/inspirational speaker at hospitals, conventions, churches, conferences, and is co-leader of a Fort Wayne, Indiana Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Support Group. Dr. Jarvis teaches others how to apply strategies to create Internal Motivation to improve after a Traumatic Brain Injury. He demonstrates a reliance on Faith and the power of God in life. Dr. Jarvis has a web site at: billjarvis.org