Friday, February 18, 2011

Looking Outward

I'm glad I don't drink anymore. For me, it was fine when I was single and had no family. Drinking made me look inward and focus solely on myself and my own desires. 

When my son was close to being born, I knew that ultimately I'd have to give it up. Parenting is hard enough as it is. Trying to find the energy to function after working 50 - 60 hours a week is hard enough as it is. The last thing I need to do is throw a nice hangover into the mix. 

I heard a sermon that described sinning as being completely in tune with your own needs. Being completely hunched over so that the only thing you could see is your own feet. Through being healed you are straightened so that you can finally see the world around you. Finding a new life in Christ helped me straighten up and focus on the needs of my family. It was something I wouldn't have been able to do without the power of the Holy Spirit.

I was in the company of people that enjoyed drinking to excess tonight. It reminded me of the sermon. Everyone was detailing things about themselves, recounting stories about their own lives, totally in tune with themselves. When someone else wanted to talk, they would just talk louder on top of each other. It became a shouting match, but no one noticed, because everyone was focused only on what they were trying to convey. No one was really listening. Everyone was hunched over staring at their own feet so to speak. It was sad.

I'm glad I don't drink anymore.