Veins Running Fire

Here's an excerpt from a book I've been reading... and that's been making me do some thinking!

The fruit of the Spirit is...self-control. Galatians 5:22

Who should take the lead in a potentially explosive situation? Surely the one God created first is to be the initiator--initiating not intimacy but restraint.

And here's my rant:
It seems like all the stories in this book are unrealistic. It's almost as if she's compiled once-in-a-lifetime stories (like someone winning the lottery) and put them all in one book to make it seem like it could happen to anybody. Story after story talks about obedience to the Lord and how one week later the man of their dreams showed up out of nowhere, crossing continents, to declare their love and beg their hand in marriage. I guess what it really boils down to is, misery loves company. Where are the stories of failed relationships and no prospects? Where are the stories of people who claim obedience yet are walking in despair? But where true obedience is, joy follows. Lord, show me how to be truly obedient.