Drew Dyck, Your Future Self Will Thank You - some jottings in place of a review

Drew Dyck, Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets of Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science (A Guide for Sinners, Quitters, and Procrastinators) (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2019)

ISBN: 9780802418296

$14.99 US pb

224pp

Drew Dyck identifies a real issue: why don’t we make more obvious progress in the Christian life? What keeps us growing more Christ-like? In this helpful and highly readable work, he charts his own journey with seeking to cultivate self-control and provides insights from the bible and recent research.

Self-control is particularly important because, in the words of Fuller Seminary’s Thrive Centre, it is “an instrumental virtue. It facilitates the acquisition/development of other virtues: joy, gratitude, generosity.” (p15)

A particular strength of the book is that it summarises and popularises elements of some other studies such as James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit or David Brooks, The Road to Character and The Social Animal and Nicholas Carr, The Shallows, as well as a number of scientific papers.

Dyck argues that information (biblical and theurgical knowledge) is necessary but not sufficient for change. In conclusion he urges: “Place God at the centre of your life. Flee temptation. If you can’t flee it, stand and fight. Eliminate distractions. Set sanctified goals [of significance, related to God]. Grow your willpower. Break bad habits and replace them with healthy ones. Wage holy was on your sin. And above all, stay connected to God. As you do so, you will see the fierce fruit of self-control begin to florish.” (p214).  

Recent research argues that will power is a finite resource (“ego depletion”). We should seek to manage and conserve it e.g. by adapting our schedules. But will power can also grow: like a muscle, it becomes stronger with use, when we do hard things. And it must be replenished e.g. by sleep.  

Habit is an important aid to self-control. We can develop good habits if a cue leads to a routine and reward (p122f). Sometimes we can nudge ourselves into better behaviours by making them easier. It may be effective to switch bad habits for something better rather than merely trying to STOP IT!

“The fresh start effect” means that we have a better chance of change if we can leave the past behind us. Temporal markers such as a birthday or New Year or even a new week can help people to pursue a new goal (p152).

“The What The Hell Effect” means that if people breach a resolution in a small way they can sometimes give way to a major blow out (p153).

Unfortunately, some quotations lack citations. For example, I would like to know where John Owen said “Be killing sin or it will be killing you” (p198).

Here are some moments I found noteworthy:

“He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.” (John Milton) (p17)

Advice from Dyck’s high school English teacher, Mr Sologar: “If you fail to control yourself, others will control you.” (p17)

Proverbs 16:32 NLT: “better to have self-control than to conquer a city”

“It’s easy to imagine your life’s outcome as the product of a few big decisions. We envision a lone hero showing extraordinary courage at a climactic moment. Or a tragic hero losing control at a critical juncture. That might ne how things work in the movies.

In reality, our destines are determined in a more mundane manner. As the writer Annie Dillard reminds us, “How we spend our says is, of course, how we send our lives.” While we may be tested in dramatic moments, the fabric of life is stitched slowly, through a thousand tiny choices that end up defining our lives. The difference of those accumulated decisions is dramatic. They can add up to a life crippled by sloth and sin or to one characterized by freedom and flourishing.” (p28-9)

The four New Testament words for self-control: sober, restrained, balanced and mastered (p30f)

“He who has a “why” to live for can bear almost any “how.”” (Nietzsche) (p35)

“People spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” (Thomas Merton) (p36)

“O God, help us to be masters of ourselves that we may be servants of others.” (Sir Alec Paterson) (p41)

“The winners in the Isthmian Games received a crown made from celery or pine leaves. Talk about temporary!” (p45)

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 – “Paul transforms his body from an enemy into an ally. He makes it his slave, an agent to serve his ultimate purpose rather than sabotaging it. Whereas before it threatened to take him out of the race, now it can help him win it.” (p46)

The Odyssey and The Argonautica on two methods of avoiding temptation – blocking their ears to the Sirens or listening to a sweeter song (pp52-53)

“We have an enemy, and he is us” (Walt Kelly) (p60)

“I’ve been at this being-a-human thing for four decades now and the evidence is in. I am a son of Adam. I am an apple-biter. I am a blamer. Heck, just this morning I lost my shoes, and falsely accused my wife of hiding them!” (p63)

“David Brooks argues that we live in a post-character culture. We care more about success and achievements (what Brooks calls “resume virtues”) than we do about cultivating traits like honesty or faithfulness (what Brooks calls “eulogy virtues,” the kind of qualities that get mentioned at your funeral).” (p65)

The temptations of Christ in Matthew 4: “Satan’s temptations are all shortcuts.” (p69)

Useful summary of the argument so far p78

James K. A. Smith – Descartes defined the human person as res cognitans, a thinking thing and discounts the importance of feelings and physicality (p101)

The resurrection body as like a Second Edition of a worn out book, a new elegant edition revised and corrected by the author (p118)