My days are long. That's just the season of life we are in. The other night, my husband was working, both kids were sick and cranky and tired and needed to go to bed, and neither wanted to be let go of. As I was sitting on the floor, exhausted, listening to two babies fight over mommy, I thought to myself "I could really use a drink." In our house we don't keep any alcohol and we both choose not to drink. Because of our personal and family history it's best to not play around with. And for me personally, I don't enjoy the taste, so the only reason to drink alcohol would be for it's effect which I believe we are warned against in Ephesians 5:18. With that said, why did I have that thought? Perhaps because of my upbringing, perhaps because of the world/society we live in? Wherever my thought's roots came from, I do believe that it is a common feeling/idea that at the end of a day, we deserve to unwind. We deserve something for "us," something to forget about our day. Shortly after this thought of mine, I had another (I know, it's crazy right?) What if, in the difficult situations, at the end of hard days, those of us who believe, sought God. Instead of looking for escape in a drink or cigar (or whatever, tv for that matter) we laid ourselves before God and looked for Him to take our burdens, asked for him to give us more patience and more love to deal with life. What if we looked forward to prayer and reading the Word with the same anticipation we do our favorite tv show? Before I go off on a tangent too much... I stopped my "poor me" attitude and I prayed. And not so surprisingly my attitude changed and it was easier to love my two little sick, crying, babies. They didn't magically become happy, that wasn't my prayer. I needed to rely on God's love to give my children because I was too tired and out of patience.
What I'm NOT saying is that you are a horrible unforgivable sinner if you have a drink at the end of the day (or cigar or watch tv or whatever). This isn't an "anti-alcohol" post. For me, in that moment I needed to be relying on God, not on something else to make me feel better. But, it is sin if we are allowing things to take God's place in our lives. There are a lot of instructions on how we ought to live, take a read of Ephesians chapter 5, it should challenge us all who choose to follow Christ.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
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“How do you nurture a growing love relationship with Jesus? Quite simply, it is nourished when you spend time alone with Him. Staying on the path of fullness requires staying in close communion with your Lord. James wrote, ‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:8). Here is an exquisite promise! Can you imagine anything more magnificent than almighty God personally drawing near to you? Your heavenly Father cherishes your nearness. He delights when you share your heart with Him and when you hear His heart. Here is intimacy beyond anything the world can offer, and it is more personal than any other relationship you can have…. God’s plan is for you to be near Him for continuous fellowship, to continue drinking of His life through meditation on His Word (Psalm 1:1-3), to know Him ever more deeply (Philippians 3:10), to become like Him in heart and soul, to become a living expression of His beautiful character as rivers of His love flow from you to those around you.”
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The Spirit and Presence of Christ, pp. 97-98