What path will you choose to travel down as you go through life? There are many paths which you can follow and the path you choose will determine how you live your life. So many of us start out on the right path and wind up going down a path that we think is right but in reality is not. I've seen this in my life and I've seen it in the lives of others. And when you find that you're on the wrong path it seems impossible to change. But is it?
I had an uncle that always scared me. He scared me because of how rough his voice was and how mean he acted when he was drinking. The words that came from his mouth no one should have to hear let alone a young boy. However, I am so thankful for my parents because they taught me how to love this uncle because of who he was not because of what he had done with his life. It's because of that love that I was able to see my uncle in a different way. To see him for the tender hearted man that loved his family and would do anything he could for them.
My uncle started drinking at an early age; I don't know just why. I have heard different stories but that doesn't really matter. What matters most is what the drinking did to my uncle and his relationship to his family. I can only give you my point of view on his life but remember it's how other people see you that reflect who you are.
I've already told you about how my uncle scared me when he was drinking now I want to share with you about a man that many people never knew. Back when I was around twelve years old, give or take a couple of years, my uncle wanted to go on vacation with my family. I thought this to be kind of strange seeing he had a wife and children at home but I didn't know the whole story and I still don't. Anyways my dad agreed to allow my uncle to go with us but there was a catch. First my uncle had to be dry (not drunk) and I mean not even the hint of alcohol. Second he was not allowed to drink from the time we left to the time we got back home. My dad made this very clear, he would not tolerate it. It seems strange but my uncle always obeyed my dad's law and he went on more than one trip with us. On these trips I came to know a man that I enjoyed being around and I have said for years that my uncle Owen was the best uncle I had, when he wasn't drinking.
Uncle Owen was a lovable person when he was sober and I remember having some fun times with him. There was one time we went up-north (That's what we call it when you go from southern Michigan to northern Michigan) and my uncle was so happy to go with us that when we had a flat tire on the rear of our pick-up truck when it was pouring down rain that he wouldn't allow my dad to help change the tire. That weekend I got the chance to spend one on one time with my uncle and I will never forget it. It was just the two of us all alone in a boat in the middle of the lake for what seemed like hours. I don't remember how long we fished but I do remember who caught the fish. And I can tell you that there are no words that can describe how good a boy feels when he out fishes a man. I mean it's a major thing were talking about and it's not to be taken lightly. Not to boast but I caught about eighteen fish to his one and only fish. It still makes me laugh when I tell this story. Anyways here we are sitting in the boat and I'm catching fish left and right when he decides that we need to switch sides of the boat. Being he was older and could throw me out into the lake any time he wanted I agree to let him have the side were all the fish were. At least that's the way it appeared at the time. So we switched and right off the bat I got a bite I pulled the line to set the hook and the line went dead. Being the expert fisher boy that I was I assumed that the fish got away so I waited for about five minutes and after not getting any more bites I reeled in my line just to be surprised by the biggest fish of the day. It was a sunfish and I must have knocked it unconscious when I set the hook. After putting another worm on my hook I went back to catching fish only to hear my uncle announce that he had had enough and was not going to sit there any more just to be out done by a boy.
The time we spent together that day was different then any other time I had spent with my uncle. We talked about all kinds of things that day but I couldn't tell you one of them. What I can tell you is that on that day I saw a man, not a drunk. My uncle died about 4 months ago. He died a sober man. He walked away from alcohol years ago but slipped back into it for a short time. Uncle Owen knew that this was a battle he would fight the rest of his life but he didn't really understand that the battle was bigger then just the alcohol. It's a battle of life or death.
Many men and women make these same mistakes but it doesn't mean that they're bad or evil. It just means that there fighting a battle that doesn't belong to them. It's a battle that only one person can fight and that's Jesus. Please don't get confused and think that you're above this because none of us are. Adults that have been raised in the church from the time they were babies but as teens walked away from the church are themselves fighting this same battle. Some of them still go to church thinking that there fooling people, but they're not. Does this make them different from someone who has never been to church? Yes it does because more than the others they know the truth and the truth is the only thing that can free you.
To watch someone destroy themselves with drugs, alcohol or depression is not a pretty sight. But at the same time we ask how can you help someone that doesn't want to help himself or herself. That's' a hard question to answer because I don't know how much you have been hurt by this person but I do know that it's only through true love that this person might come around and clean themselves up.
What is true love? It's a love that says "forgiven" before the deed is ever done. This is the love that Christ has given us.
Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
In reality Jesus spoke these words about us because He knew the sins we would commit before He died on the cross. It was our lives that flashed before His eyes not His. It was our sin that drove the nails into His hands and placed Him on that cross. It's only through Jesus that one can be set free and it's only through Jesus that we can truly love someone. Please don't wait until it's to late to seek Jesus. Seek Him now while you still have a chance.
February 10, 2004
