If we all knew it was poison, would we consume?
Seems like a silly questions, but is surprisingly difficult question to answer. In the story of Adam and Eve and the fall of man in Genesis, the apple was sweet, but led to destruction.
Sadly, alcohol is that apple for some. Seemingly innocent, many people can consume a glass or two of wine, or have a few beers during a football game without issue. In and of itself, my personal opinion on the use of alcohol is that it’s not a terribly big deal. However, I continue to encounter people whose lives have literally been wrecked by alcohol, and I go back to my original question – if they had known the consequences of the poison, would they partake?
Many years ago, there was a husband / wife couple in the church that I attended at the time who apparently made a suicide pact with one another to drink themselves to death. The wife succeeded the initial attempt, leaving her husband and grown children to bury her. Within a few short weeks, the husband tried again, this time succeeding. For all the pain and sorrow I harbored at the time of my life, I couldn’t understand their choice. I could only imagine the overwhelming desperation their selfish acts left on their children. It was heartbreaking.
In my current circle of acquaintances is a man who has a similar death wish. I have watched from afar the powerful grip alcohol has on his life over the past 12 months since he first drank himself into seizures the day after Christmas, 2017. He has been in and out of rehab so many times this year I have lost count. He has lost almost all of his family, except for a daughter, torn between babysitting her dad and needing to be in a safe place. Never in all my years of mentoring and working with addicted people have I ever seen such a powerful demon as this man has. It is truly, truly heartbreaking. I wonder to myself, if he’d have known how things would have turned out, would he have ever taken the first drink?
Oftentimes we don’t see the big picture – we can’t see the long term destruction in our choices, and so we fall into them. Like quicksand, they pull us deeper and deeper, until we feel like we can’t ever be pulled out. My heart breaks for all those who are under the grip of this powerful poison, especially at this time of year, when it seems so many are searching for a lost happiness. The beautiful thing is that is exactly where Jesus specializes – in giving power to the powerless, restoring the completely broken, making beautiful things out of the ashes of our lives.
It reminds me of the beautiful verse in Psalm – not what I’d consider my life-verse, but one that truly speaks to me.
Thinking about all those struggling with addictions – it hits pretty hard this time of year – but know that God sees you struggling and wants to help you. May you reach your hand out for him to pull you to safety and put your feet on solid ground, and make something beautiful of you.
Be blessed today, my friends.
SB
Copyright 2018 Journey For Life – All rights reserved.
Song of the day: Beautiful things (Gungor)All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change, at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found?
Could a garden come out from this ground, at all?You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of usAll around,
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found, in youYou make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
Oh, you make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of usYou make me new,
You are making me new
You make me new,
You are making me new
(Making me new)You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
Oh, you make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of usYou make me new,
You are making me new
You make me new,
You are making me newSongwriters: Brian Johnson / Christa Black / Jeremy RiddleBeautiful Things lyrics © Music Services, Inc
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