Dan Byl

These are virtues that “all civilized” people recognize. Prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude.

Prudence is the same as common sense, thinking things out before you do them, and determining the consequences to our actions.

Temperance is knowing your limit, “the whole point is that he is abstaining, for a good reason, from something which he does not condemn and which he likes to see other people enjoying.” (CS Lewis)

Justice is more then just laws and what goes on in court, it includes fairness, honesty, give and take, and everything that we would expect from a “good person.”

And lastly, fortitude, the guts to walk it out.

Temperance seems to be the most used and abused of these virtues, in the Christian circle. Temperance is usually used in the realm of pleasures, it is knowing your limits, Many religious people have a hard time with this, they tend to do the same couple things wrong.

They tell people what is right and wrong for them, (this is a good thing) and they believe that if something is not right for them, then it is wrong for everyone. (this is bad)

C.S Lewis writes, “…The moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he is taken the wrong turn.” “ A man who makes his money or his motor-bicycle the centre of his life, or a woman who devotes all her thoughts to clothes or bridge or her dog, is being just as ‘intemperate’ as someone who gets drunk every night.” “Ohhh burn…”

So I guess we are not all as good as we thought we were, we need to find the healthy limits in our lives, and allow each person to do the same for them selves. It is super important to enjoy life. And a huge part of that is finding things that we find pleasure in.

For instance I have a tobacco pipe named Watson, I am sure that some people may be surprised and a little perturbed by the fact that I smoke. But I really enjoy it, I enjoy sitting down to a game of cards and blowing smoke circles with my friends. Today I went for long walk in the rain down by the lake and christened my new hand made wood pipe. The very thought of it still puts a smile on my face.

But there is limits If I were out smoking everyday well, firstly that would be really bad for my health, and second it just would be a little over the top, so for me a couple times a week is my limit, and most weeks I don’t reach that limit. Where others are once a day is there limit, and that’s ok. This is a personal thing if I started telling my friends they are wrong for doing something that they enjoy, and there really is no moral obligation attached to it then I think I am over stepping my boundaries.

We need to ask God what our limits are to be, we can ask him about a verity of things, smoking, gambling, buying clothes, and the list goes on. He will give you a boundary.

You may not like it but he knows us better then we do, and he gives them to us for a reason. The best option is to take them, question them find out why they are there, and make sure that we work with in those lines.

Its like coloring, there are many lines and if we stay in them the picture will turn out beautiful, but if we give it to our friends 2 year old well there is beauty there too but I think you get the idea.

Email this post