On The Road to Temperance (Part 1)

According to the dictionary, temperance is moderation or self-restraint, especially in eating and drinking, although now it usually means teetotalism or total abstinence from alcohol or liquor. During the classical era, temperance meant going the right length and no further in all pleasures.

The ways we live now – checking our smartphones every minute, absorbing a plethora of information, over scheduling our days or our children’s days, shopping ‘til we drop, gorging at eat-all-you-can buffets, not taking time to unwind without a screen in front of our faces – are all clear signs that excessive indulgence is the name of the game in this day and age.

In his book, A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer, American author and preacher John Piper writes:

"Desires for other things" - there's the enemy. And the only weapon that will triumph is a deeper hunger for God. The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with "other things." Perhaps, then, the denial of our stomach's appetite for food might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God.


There was a time in my life when I have often kept myself “stuffed with other things,” but instead of finding true happiness, I was already creating serious problems that would test my faith and willpower later down the road. While I was climbing the corporate ladder, for instance, not only did I consume huge amounts of Starbucks coffee every night while in the office, I even habitually rewarded myself with food or unnecessary material things as prize for my hard work. Here I am, 5 years later, evidently overweight and badly out of shape. My other habits included constantly watching mindless TV programs or spending hours on weekends at the malls. There were many other things that I tried to do to keep up with the experiences of those around me, or to be even better in status or prestige. As a result, I became more anxious, preoccupied and always on the go for no particular reason or purpose. So then I wondered: Whoever said that this life must be an endless competition?

Now, as a 33-year old woman, I have grown wiser, stronger, more spiritual and self-controlled. Here are some of the things I am determined to curb:

1. Food

Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas said of gluttony: "It denotes, not any desire of eating and drinking, but an inordinate desire... leaving the order of reason, wherein the good of moral virtue consists."

Perhaps I was not weaned properly as an infant, or whatever the case might be, food is one of my weaknesses. In the call center industry, we knew we were stress eating yet we just couldn’t resist food that was provided all the time, for free. It helped us cope with the mental fatigue, compensate for regular sleep-deprivation, or use it to motivate our own subordinates. Now that I am a wife and a mother, family dinners and celebrations are a top priority. It is easy to go on a diet; I’ve done it many times! Unfortunately, it has never worked effectively, so I must always remind myself of this verse. “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” (Proverbs 23:20)

2. Materialism: wanting less, reducing debt

I think I have already quite succeeded in making sure that I was no longer a consumer schooled in envy and insatiability. I have stopped desiring what most people possess or think everyone must acquire, like state-of-the-art technology or a thousand bucket lists. One of the most basic concepts of economics is want vs. need. I once heard someone say, “If you have to think about it before buying it, you don’t need it.” Scripture has helped me tremendously in fighting this battle. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (Philippians 4:11)

(To be continued...)