Seven Ways to Gain Self-Control: My Contemplation of Verse 33 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am delving into verse 33 of the Tao Te Ching:

One who understands others has knowledge;

one who understands himself has wisdom.

Mastering others requires force;

mastering the self needs strength.

If you realize that you have enough,

you are truly rich.

One who gives himself to his position

surely lives long.

One who gives himself to the Tao

surely lives forever.

What do you do when someone insults you?  What do you do when someone argues with you?  What do you do when someone infuriates you?  Do you turn the other cheek?  Or do you bite back?

This verse, 33, is telling us we need to do to deal with others.  Here is what the verse explains:

 

1. We need to understand ourselves.  We need to look within for the answers to our problems.  What makes us tick?  What is our personality?  What do we need to function in this world?  Why do we keep making the same mistakes?

2. We need to understand others.  We need to understand that we are all of different walks of life.  We all have baggage.  We all have our hurts.  We are all trying to heal.

3. We need to stop attempting to control others.  It is worthless to attempt it.  Others have their own thoughts about life.  We have different motivations for doing what we do.  How can we truly know the problems of others, which affect their behavior?

4. We need strength to control ourselves.  Taking the focus away from others allows us to concentrate our energies on our growth.  We need the power to continue to advance in life.  We should turn to God for help.  Only He can provide the supernatural strength to control our responses to others.

5. We need to realize we have enough.  We have enough possessions.  We have enough smarts.  We have enough people in our lives.  We have all we need to live successfully.

6. We need to give ourselves to God.  We need to let God's wisdom guide us.  We should allow God's love flow through us.  We need to work through those areas in our lives which God reveals to us as needing improvement.  Only then can we move forward in our lives.

7. We need to give ourselves over to our vocations.  God has a special job for us.  Some of us are parents.  Some of us are helpers.  Some of us are leaders.  No matter what the job, career or calling, we need to fulfill what God has put us on earth to do.

God equips the called.  God provides all we need, even the ability to control ourselves.

Let's consider these tips to help us control our lives.  We can't control others.  If we turn to God, our lives can improve.  We can't blame other people for our problems.  We need to take control back by choosing a wise manner to respond to others.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Are you still trying to control the people in your life?  Or are you trusting God to help you gain self-control?  Do you understand that God is the source for all we need, including the ability to deal with others?  I pray we all trust God to guide us.  Let's not lean on our own understanding.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.