It is a truism that the only thing you can control is yourself, and yet how often are our prayers for God to control someone else?  Reading this again today, it points out that it is through the pains and disappointments of life that we grow, rather than the joys.  At those times we see (if we allow ourselves to) the impact of our character on us, and have the opportunity to change it.

This is not self control in the sense of not eating the extra piece of chocolate, but instead in the sense of recognising our hang ups and finding ways to deal with them.

Far more difficult than not eating a piece of chocolate, but more in keeping with the spirit of Lent.  However, far harder to do as it requires us to experience pain or disappointment, something that most of us try to steer clear of, and something that we can’t always find to order.  However for many of us there may be past pains/disappointments that we haven’t yet processed, and which would form a good topic for Lenten reflection.