Life Lessons: Five of Ten – Moderation is Key.

June 4, 2025

When I decided on my fifth life lesson earlier this year, I had in mind what moderation meant. As I began to write, I realized I’d better check to see what moderation actually meant. After checking several dictionary definitions, they all pointed to the same core concept: Moderation is a behavior that avoids extremes while remaining reasonable and within acceptable limits.

So, how does living a life of moderation make it to a Top Ten list of life lessons?

Life Lessons: Five of Ten – Moderation is Key. #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X

It’s because I’ve spent much of my life living on the edge of extremes in certain areas. I’ll hit on a few of these for illustration.

Eating: I’ve struggled with comfort eating for years. Let me say upfront that I’ve never been to an authority on this, it’s just something I know about myself. I know I tend to head for something salty or sweet when I’m stressed, bored, or even when relaxing with a book or TV show. I’m not sure the right name for it is “comfort eating”, I just know when I’m in those situations, eating those items comfort me. Unlike grabbing an apple, a small bowl of grapes, or a handful of nuts (though I could eat my weight in cashews).

Yard Work: My family will tell you that I’m compulsive about keeping our yard green, weed-free, and perfectly manicured. I’ve spent way too many hours and dollars working on our yard. Shortly after moving into our house in 2001, I purchased a commercial mower. This mower is equipped to produce beautiful stripes. That wasn’t good enough for me. I built my own additional striper out of a piece of sand-filled PVC pipe with wheels. By the way, this month’s photo is from 2005 and my yard isn’t quite like that now.

Church Involvement: For years, I lived by the motto, “If the doors are open, I should be there.” On the surface, that may not seem to be such a bad thing, but for me, balancing that goal against many other needs as a husband, father, employee, and friend was tough. Much of my involvement was in response to a feeling of duty and I wasn’t really happy in all that I did. I still have that issue today and have to be careful to say no to those things that aren’t just right for me and whatever situation I’m in.

So, what is the solution for a life lived in extremes, often not reasonable nor within acceptable limits?

Here’s my disclaimer: I’m sharing my life lessons with you just in case you find yourself in a similar situation and want to look at options. I recognize we all have varying thresholds for what is extreme, reasonable, or acceptable, but I believe the general truth of what I’ve learned may work for you, too.

I believe God, specifically, the Holy Spirit, is the answer.

The Bible tells us that whenever we place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us. You can find this in Ephesians 1:13-14. When the Holy Spirit indwells us, God equips us to demonstrate several qualities in how we live. We see these in Galatians 5:22-23.

²² “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control;” (Galatians 5:22-23, NASB)

That last quality, self-control, is key.

I naturally want to self-comfort, seek perfection, and serve out of a sense of duty. All decent inclinations unless they become extreme or unreasonable. When my behaviors start hurting my health, relationships, or ability to live joyfully as God intends, I know I’m out of balance.

Here’s what I’ve learned: I’m unable to, on my own, manage those inclinations. But when I turn them over to God and really allow Him to direct me—to empower me with self-control, then I can find balance. I don’t understand how God is outside of time and space, able to be everywhere at all times, or how He enables me to do things I can’t do alone, but I know He does. I’m gradually getting better at letting God lead me to a life of moderation.

Living in moderation is a game-changer, even though it’s something I wrestle with daily.

If you’re reading this and need help with moderation, I encourage you to ask God for help. He’ll do it.