After we check the mail, I allow my kids to remain unbuckled on our dirt road, as long as they stay seated. Daniel has struggled with the staying seated part lately and I have to remind him to stay down.
“But why? Nothing will happen.” Daniel turned around backward in the front seat on his knees as he responded.
At that moment, a deer darted across the road in front of us. I slammed on brakes, and Daniel lost his balance, landing in the front floorboard.
“Do you understand now?” I looked at my obviously shaken youngest son.
“Uh huh. That scared me.”
“Think of what would have happened if I was going really fast. You would have crashed through the windshield.”
Reality set in. “I’ll make sure to sit down next time.”
Practicing restraint is difficult, especially when we haven’t experienced the consequences. But once we see what could happen, restraint no longer seems like a punishment, but a measure of protection.
Monday morning, I visited the pickleball court for the first time in seven weeks. Many thoughts flooded my mind as my inclination to play tried to override logical thinking. What would it hurt to do a little light dinking? Surely, I could handle that. But I know myself. And even light dinking turns into chasing after hard-to-reach balls which would mean twists and turns on my knee that would blow all progress I’m making in physical therapy. So, I simply visited with my friends and kept my hands in my pockets.
The Practice of Restraint
Restraint is hard. But I also know that over the next five months I have three big trips that will require my body to be healthier than it is currently. Keeping this end goal in mind helps me resist the impulses of the moment and strive for what is ahead.
Sounds like Paul in the New Testament. “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV).
Guarding our minds, stopping harsh words, surrendering our actions—these are also types of restraint. We live in a world that says anything goes—but I follow a God that says differently. Some things are just harmful. Period. Other things are dangerous. And a handful of things are too risky to take a chance on.
Examine yourself this week. Is pride keeping you from practicing restraint? Selfishness? Lack of care? No matter what the reason, if there is something you are participating in on a regular basis that is causing negativity; get it out! Keep your eyes on the long-term prize. And practice restraint.