If one piece of pie is delicious, then two pieces of pie must be doubly delicious. Three pieces of pie would then be…heaven? This reasoning doesn’t work, does it? What was once (the first piece) enjoyable becomes a tormentor. The reality is that the grace and discipline of self-control is a great blessing, not a curse. The idea of self-control as good is counter-intuitive. It goes against the grain of our natural tendency to seek after our own pleasure at all costs. What the self-controlled have come to realize is that all pleasurable experiences come as a gift from God. It is not the pleasure itself that fills us and supplies our need. It is the Giver of the pleasure in Whom we find our ultimate fulfillment and lasting satisfaction. The all-out pursuit of earthly pleasure, even if it is as seemingly harmless as a second piece of pie, always leads to poverty. Enjoyment of pleasure in moderation with the recognition that it comes from the hand of a kind and personal Father produces joy that is not followed by regret.