The underrated deadly sin

The list of "7 deadly sins" -- and the opposite list of divine virtues -- has developed over time. If "Faith, hope, and love" are the theological virtues, then I'd suggest the deadly sins that oppose them are cynicism, despair, and disdain (though some would say greed as the final opposite, if love were translated as charity, and I am an outlier in identifying the opposite of faith as cynicism). Where humility is recognized as a cardinal virtue, pride (arrogance) is its matching deadly sin. Wrath and patience, laziness and diligence are generally recognized as matched pairs of vice and virtue. Lust and chastity are still recognized as a similar pair by the godly. But we have nearly forgotten about gluttony and self-control. 

It's an understatement to say that our culture considers gluttony to be less serious. The culture distrusts self-control itself on the basic level of whether it is good. There is a message running through society that self-control is repressive, stifling, or dishonest. To break our self-control is the general goal of advertising. "Binge-watch" is part of the culture and language. 

In my years in 12-step fellowships, I've met "multiple winners" (people who are in multiple 12-step programs) who have variously lost control of their lives to more than just the usual suspects of alcohol and drugs. I've met people who have lost control of their lives to food, gambling, video games, and shopping. "Their god is their stomach" says Scripture (Philippians 3:19), and that's disturbingly accurate at times. And it's not by accident that part of regaining control of life, in those fellowships, is transferring the role of god to either God or a higher power of personal understanding. Having a connection to God is vital to stopping the idolatry of self that eventually leads to slavery to some appetite or other. The thing about self-control is this: If we aren't controlling ourselves, who is? So today I'd like to place a marker that this is a virtue worth reclaiming, and a value worth having.