I got a call from an old friend a couple of weeks ago that I don't talk to often. I haven't seen him in 10 years and he only lives about 43 or so miles away. I love the guy and miss him very much in so many ways. One might ask why haven't I seen him in 10 years? Why don't we hang out?
The answer is simple. My friend is a RAGING alcoholic in denial at its best. He's a poster child I tell you. He's smart as a whip and charming as the devil when he's not drinking. He's highly educated from a VERY reputable university yet he lives within a career that requires no education and certainly isn't what I would consider a stable, dependable income during these times. I may seem very judgmental here but I know an alcoholic when I see one. My mother and sister both are successful recovering alcoholics. I see what a difference sobriety has made in their lives.
You might ask If I'm against drinking. The answer is no, not at all. Although I don't generally drink, I'm not going to say I won't ever have an occasional drink. It could happen. What I am against is the Jekyll and Hyde effect alcohol has on my good friend. I simply do not like him when he's drinking. During the last year or so of our "hanging out", he was usually drinking, thus, I usually didn't care much for him. If it continued I was going to react in a way that would destroy our friendship. His behavior was also putting a strain on my marriage to a degree.
So I isolated myself and my family from my buddy. I quit calling him. I quit taking his calls. I knew the best thing I could do was to let him go and find a way to hit rock bottom. That hasn't happened yet. Nevertheless I got a call from him and we spoke and he tended to talk to me as if I were still the same party animal I was when we met some 16 or so years ago. I finally got a chance to tell him what was going on in my life. I told him about my growing relationship with Christ and the awesome church I go to. He said he was very happy to know I was going to church because he always thought I was an atheist. This hit me like a brick and I chuckled a bit. I had been saved several years before I ever met my friend but obviously I was so lost from my relationship with Christ that one of my best friends never even knew I believed in God. So I have to ask "Who was I"? Answer: I was a lost Christian that never knew how to have a relationship with Christ and never knew how to live for Christ. At least I thought I was a Christian. I was saved, I was Baptized. I was NOT living a life in Christ. Was I a Christian blinded by sin? Today, I think everyone knows who I am.. I am Vic Webb and I serve my Father in Heaven. I certainly can't be mistaken for an atheist.
Now I ask you. Who are you. What do your closest friends know about your faith. What do you know about theirs? If you're blinded by sin or not a Christian at all, what are you going to do about it?
My friend got a text from me inviting him to church. He did say he would come visit if I invited him to church. So far he hasn't come. Maybe he doesn't text. I'm going to finish up here and give him a call. He needs to see who I am. He needs to see Christ in me. I can only pray that he likes what he sees.
No comments:
Post a Comment