Laura Smith writes: “Our young daughter was learning the fruit of the Spirit, so I asked her to recite them to me. ‘Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and remote control!’”

You have to appreciate the young girl’s effort, but perhaps her misquote points out a weakness that many of us have—we watch too much television. There is nothing wrong with watching an occasional program. TV offers us a chance to escape from the grind of everyday life and unwind for a while. It also provides us with news and information that may help us to live better lives. Television can encourage and inspire.

However, perhaps we need to exhibit the self-control that allows us to use the remote control to turn off the TV set and do something more constructive.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control…”—Galatians 5:22-23.