Drugs vs Freedom

These past few days I have been browsing other blogs. I have been looking at blogs that have drugs as an interest. Out of all of the blogs that I have seen, this topic is the saddest. Anyone who has drugs as one of their interests; their stories are full of darkness. There is no hope, no life, no true joy (that inner joy that makes every day worth living for). I look at my life now and see how truly far I have come. I see life around me. I have bad days, but these days are not hopeless.

I remember sitting in my tiny house, feeling hopeless. I would get high, thinking that was the only way I could cope with life. Getting high alone is totally different than getting high and going out with friends. If drugs were so great it would not matter if you were alone or with others, getting high would be great no matter what. But when you are alone, you are surrounded; this is when the knives come out. This is when the cutting happens. This is when you tear at your flesh trying to relieve the pain. I do not know how many times I came so close to death. When you start doing a lot of drugs, you become so alone, and yet you never really want to be alone. The drugs trap you and you cannot help but be alone. I trapped myself in a world that no one could enter, no matter how hard they tried. I am so glad that I am out of that world. When I start thinking that getting high sounds so good, I remember just how sad it really is and the desire is easily destroyed. I would never want to trade my life now, for that life then.

One of the Jewish customs of baptism is a ritual done with the bride to be. The bride goes into the water (Mikvah) to be immersed. There are three different symbols that take place here. I love this.
1. Right of purification- She is washed, she is purified, she is clean (After period she goes to the Mikvah to be washed. Her egg died (was not fertilized) and she is washed from the bleeding, she is clean).
2. Separation of old life/Burial of old life- She is no longer single, she is now united to her husband
3. Change in authority status- Before she goes under the water she is under the authority of her father. As she comes up out of the water she is no longer under her father, but her husband.

The Mikvah separates one form of life of living from a new life, new living. Mikvah purifies. It is a total immersion, a complete life change.

This is so cool, I just love this. I have been very interested in the Jewish customs for some time now. Jesus was a Jew. He was speaking to Jews. In order to understand what he was saying and where he was coming from I had to understand the Jewish customs. Baptism is all over the New Testament, but it started during Moses' time. Why? One big element of it, is a custom for the bride to be baptized (immersed). We are the bride of Christ.

Christian Baptism
1. Right of purification- we are washed to cleanse us of our sins
2. Separation of old life- We are no longer living for ourselves, but living for God. Our old life is dead we are buried to old life of sin.
3. Change in authority status- We are no longer under sins control, we are under Christ's control.

We are baptised into the Lord's death, burial and Resurrection. We are baptised into the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is not partial change, but full life change.

In the Jewish custom; after the bride (those who believe in Christ) was baptized the groom (Christ) would go and build a wedding chamber (chuppah), a room for her, on his fathers (God) house. Sometimes this process would take a very long time, 12 months or more. When the father decided that it was fit and the groom was ready, the father would send the young man out to get his bride, who had been waiting for him. She never knew when he was going to come. Her job was to be waiting, keeping him at the center of her heart.

Christ always refers to us as his bride, he is always the Groom. John 14: 2-3, Christ is going to prepare a place for us in his Father's house. Mathew 25: 1-13, Parable of the ten bridesmaids. Five of the brides were prepared, waiting for their groom. Five were foolish and did not prepare, they did not think ahead to the coming of their Lord.

I have hope. I am watching and waiting for my Groom to come. I am clean. I am pure. I will not return to the old way. I will not destroy myself any longer. I will mess up, but Christ will continually clean me. Christ died for me, my Groom died for me. He conquered death and paid the price for my redemption. I choose to be different, because he loves me. My life is different. I am no longer alone. The hurt is gone; life has taken its place. I will be baptized for my wedding day. I will be baptized for the right reasons. I love my Lord. I want to follow his comands. My life has changed, I am different.