Have you ever heard of the Olympics of Patience, or the Superbowl of Self-Control? No? That’s because there’s not one, and if there was, no one would watch.

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While people may value patience and self-control (and the other fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5), they pay to watch things like physical feats of strength, domination, and winning.  Some of it is physiological – I get an endorphin rush when I run fast, lift something heavy, or win. I don’t get that same rush when I am patient or demonstrate self-control.  

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Today’s verse recognizes that there is a strength that is more valuable than physical strength. To illustrate that, think of Samson, whose story is found in Judges 13-16 –  He was a warrior, a judge, and he took at least one city. But he wasn’t patient, didn’t have self-control, and ultimately, did not live up to his potential.  

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Samson was the strongest of men, but he was also one of the weakest. God chose him from birth to lead Israel and gave him all the physical attributes a man could want. He was strong, handsome, powerful, and a leader. He had great hair, too.

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But for all the strengths that God had given him, he was weak. He was prone to anger, impatience, impetuousness, selfishness, bad decision-making, lust, pride, and greed. While he led Israel for 20 years, his story is book-ended with rash, ungodly decisions that exposed his weakness.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, there’s lots to learn from Samson‘s life.

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First, God didn’t create us all to be Samsons. He was created to save Israel, and God blessed him with attributes no one else will ever have. But in the New Testament, God also created a man who had been born blind, who encountered Jesus in John 9. Jesus told his disciples that the man had been born that way so that God’s works could be displayed in his life. Most of us are somewhere between the physical extremes of Samson and the blind man, and God can still use us to accomplish His purposes.

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Second, are you living up to your potential? Samson didn’t. God used Samson despite his sinfulness, but imagine if he had been a man after God’s own heart like David was described in I Samuel 13:14. Samson led Israel for 20 years, but it wasn’t until his death, when he truly cried out for God‘s help, that he knew both physical and spiritual strength. Unfortunately, it was only right before his death that he became the leader that God wanted him to be. Do you know what your purpose is? Are you living up to your potential? Do you honor God with what He has given you?

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Third, while we may know how to get physically stronger, how are we supposed to get patience and self-control? The trick is not to focus on the fruit – focus on the vine. These attributes are fruit of the Spirit, and they flow naturally to one who is walking in and with the Spirit.  

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Lastly, we don’t have to be like Samson, blinded by the world, enslaved by the Philistines, who finally turned to God as his source of strength in his last moments. We can call out to God today!