Alcohol

Ecclesiastes 2, "After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world."

Yesterday was another wonderful day for Sophia's Kitchen. Katie did a wonderful job expressing her wounds that she has obtained during her experiences in high school and college. She, like most of us, thought that partying, drinking and being foolish was going to give her satisfaction. What she discovered was a whole lot of bad choices, because of drinking, only gives you a whole lot of heartache. “Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain. Meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure.” (RZ) It is in seeking pleasure that we find the true emptiness in life. It is in our search for physical pleasure that we find the wounds only get deeper.

How many times have I had sweet young girls tell me about having sex with someone because of getting too drunk. They either were passed out and find out the next day, or just loose all care in the moment. Either way pain is the result and for some reason the pain in drinking causes you to drink again thinking it will cover over the past pain. The truth is that more pain is felt. We risk another disaster, hoping for a chance at fun. We take a gamble that is greater than any other, chancing a moment of folly not expecting the winds of regret to blow.

When I was in college, I went out drinking and partying with friends. I was with this guy, thinking he would be safe and I could drink around him. As the night progressed I started to regret being around him and pretended to pass out. (Luckily I wasn't as drunk as I was letting on). He started to undress me. He had no idea that I was fully aware of what was happening. I had only pretended to pass out hoping that it would end his pursuit. The reality was, if I had really passed out he would have raped me. I was lucky that night, for when he tried to take off my pants, I "miraculously" woke up stumbling around, gathered my clothes, and got out. I was really quite sober by this point. I was lucky, but how many of my sweet girls have not been. He was a "good guy." We went to a Christian University and he was my friend. But in the moment of drinking we were both going to have more regret than we would have had if alcohol had not been involved. I would have been raped (yes, it is rape if the girl is passed out), and he would have been a rapist. Something neither of us could have gotten over very easily.

“Skillful living vs. train wreck reacting. Some of us depend on a crisis to bring us into change. The essence of life is not just picking up shattered pieces.”(BM) Please listen to those who have experienced the wrong side of pleasure. That night of fun can cause a life time of shattered pieces. The choices you make now, do matter. You can either choose the hard choices to be wise now, or you can reap the hurt and heartache later. It is much harder, in the long run, to have to try and put the broken pieces back together. After tasting the hurt of "partying" my college girls are having the struggle of trying to live differently. When you have built your reputation in one way, changing your actions to change your reputation can seem almost impossible. It can be done, but how much harder it is to climb out of a hole that you dug yourself.

Oswald Chambers, "Have you ever said to yourself, 'I am impressed with the wonderful truths of God’s Word, but He can’t really expect me to live up to that and work all those details into my life!' When it comes to confronting Jesus Christ on the basis of His qualities and abilities, our attitudes reflect religious superiority. We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done...My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority. If I detect these misgivings in myself, I should bring them into the light and confess them openly— 'Lord, I have had misgivings about You. I have not believed in Your abilities, but only my own. And I have not believed in Your almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it.'" Doing the right thing is hard, changing the bad is even harder. Without Him to help you, it is impossible, or it will still leave you wanting more...

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/02/26/devotion.aspx?year=2010

(RZ) Ravi Zacharias
(BM) Beth Moore