Alcohol Blog
By Ned Wicker The pastor explained to his congregation, “It’s the longest prayer in the Bible.” The confessions of the Jewish people in Chapter 9 of the Book of Nehemiah chronicles the on again-off again relationship the people had with God. In reading the lengthy prayer, verses 5b through the end of the chapter, we see an emerging pattern, a seemingly endless cycle of dysfunction. The people desperately need something and they ask God. God gives it to them. Then, as things are going good, they fall away again and get right back into trouble. As he made his point about the long prayer, my mind drifted to visions of those struggling with alcohol addiction. They desperately need help. But, they may not want the kind of help that God is offering. Or they receive treatment, things are going good, then they relapse. It’s a cycle of suffering that has not changed at all since those Old Testament days. The advancement of science, technology and culture has certainly changed the way the world looks, but human nature has not changed at all. The setting may be different, but the process is exactly the same. We want, we need, but we refuse the help. We get caught up in the technical stuff. We do amazing things these days. Even something as amazing as the Space Shuttle is just another day at the office. Medical science is ever pushing the limits of possibility, yet nothing has really changed because there is so much poverty and suffering in the world. We are impressed with ourselves. Yet, the basic human drive does not change and at the end of the day, if we are honest, we see that we are all rather self-centered, arrogant and prideful. It’s human nature. It’s the by-product of having free will to make our own choices. It’s the single thing that man has yet to overcome. People will always push the limits, which is why young people experiment and make bad choices. Unaware of the impending danger, they do what their friends do, thinking that they are under control, more mature and enlightened. In fact, they are lost. Like a tiger on the hunt, alcohol addiction creeps up behind its prey, pounces and grabs the back of the neck with its powerful jaws. Unlike the tiger, alcohol addiction kills by the installment plan, not with a swift snap of the neck. The irony here is that the prey has invited the calamity, at some level is aware that something is amiss, and yet makes a conscious decision to refuse help. Treatment may be for the asking, but the addict says no. The family may refuse help as well, denying any problem exists. The solution is refused because it isn’t on their terms. Pride and stubbornness are killers, just like the drugs that are abused. Do you ever watch the A&E show called Intervention on television? It’s a fascinating study on human nature and every episode illustrates commonalities among those with the disease and those trying to help. The addict always knows more than anyone else in the room. The world is wrong and they are right. Need? What need? There’s always the enabler, who gives the addict a pass on their destructive behavior, and the interventionist has to get that person in line to be of help, rather than being part of the problem. There’s a painfully high percentage of divorce in the addict’s family. It’s almost like it’s a requisite part of the script. It’s the perfect storm of bad decisions by all the members of a family, resulting in one member becoming an addict/alcoholic. When people allow themselves to be help, good things happen. They can be happy, joyous and free of the alcohol addiction. Families can heal. After a long time of prayer, planning and preparation, the people rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days, an absolutely amazing fete! It was a community effort and it required steadfast cooperation and a shared determination to not only complete the task, but to ensure that the walls would not topple again. It was amidst that spirit of celebration that the people gathered and prayed together. It was a glorious moment, but it was fleeting, because human nature would again raise its ugly head. The cycle has continued over countless generations. We know more stuff, but we do not change. Human history repeats itself because people do not learn from history; families pass on behaviors from generation to generation and it’s amazing how people don’t learn from their parents and grandparents. We are so sure of ourselves. While they are very different worldviews, Islam, Judaism and Christianity share a belief that submission to God is important. The interpretation of just how that happens is not similar, but the idea that God is the ultimate authority and not us is a striking commonality. Jews revere the Commandments, the Law, while Muslims adhere strictly to Islamic laws. Christians, like the Jews, are taught to love the Law, but through history, they have learned that human beings will always push the limits and break the law. They need to be saved from themselves. The difference between those three great religions is how the law is administered and how people act towards it. That’s a discussion for another day, but people have to deal with basic human nature. We do what we want to do. We have great need. When we realize the need we cry out. But when help comes, we refuse it. It’s the endless cycle of human existence. For more Alcohol Blog go to our home page Alcohol Blog Alcohol Blog Alcohol Blog Alcohol Blog Alcohol Blog Alcohol Blog Alcohol Blog HOW TO USE THIS SITE:This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read: RECOVERY… Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community... 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