090816 Self-Medicated

We all self-medicate in one way or another. We all have our own ways of trying to address the difficulties of life, to cope with pain. These meds come in all shapes and sizes, and some are surprising.

Some people… Drink excessively. Take illegal drugs. Take legal drugs beyond what was prescribed. Eat too much. Smoke. Watch too much TV. Shop impulsively. Lose themselves in on-line chat rooms. Get into porn. Exercise too much. Focus too much on physical health. Surf the net. Text until their thumbs go numb. Sexting. Gamble. Over sleep. Over socialize. Choose isolation. I’ve even known some people who read the Bible for their self-medication in ways that are not healthy. The list can go on indefinitely, really.

While some of the things on the list are obviously illegal or immoral, many of the things on the list don’t register as particularly bad. What’s wrong with an extra (fifth) trip to the buffet? What’s the big deal with going out for yet another workout? Who gets hurt there?

Things become a problem when we choose coping mechanisms (disciplines) to numb the pain instead of doing what we need to do to address the actual cause of pain. We self-medicate in a wide variety of ways when we want to feel secure and whole – at peace – right now with what appears to be less effort than pursuing actual resolution.

The problem is that it works. Sort of. We stumble onto these disciplines because, at least for a moment, we feel a little better. Sometimes we can feel better for entire seasons of life. But eventually, the prescription fails, and we find out that we have become more toxic than before. More pain, not less. Instead of wholeness, we find ourselves more broken.

The excessive drinking catches up with work, with DUI’s, in relationships. Lot got so drunk he slept with both of his own daughters – fathering children with each (Genesis 19:30-38). Over-eating leads to obesity which leads to increased health risks all the way around. The people of Israel were so fat and sassy that they could not see the doom that was just around the corner (Amos 4:1). We spend ourselves into financial nightmares becoming slaves to debt or into a love of stuff that leads to great peril (Ecclesiastes 5:10). We wear ourselves out achieving the highest scores on video games in an imaginary world, while we find ourselves failing in the game of life in the real world.

The author of Ephesians noted the problem and offered a solution: Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:18-20 NLT). Earlier in that same letter to the church in Ephesus (Ephesians 4:28 NLT), he addressed those who were stealing other people’s stuff, telling them to focus their hands on good hard work instead of destruction.

Jesus was fully aware of our self-medicating tendencies, of or propensity to engaging disciplines that wear us out. His call to all people everywhere who self-medicate: Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT).

Our deepest longings, our greatest pain, and our highest hopes all find their solution in relationship with God. Jesus found the way to that relationship, and offers you the opportunity to be there with him, with God, with others, whole and complete, healthy in every sense of the word.

May you have ears to hear.

May you give up your self-medication disciplines

in favor of the much easier, much more effective path of Jesus.

May you then live the life you were meant to live.

Group Questions…

1. What sorts of prescriptions have you made for yourself to deal with your ailments? How have they worked for you? How have they not worked for you?
2. Where did you learn to self-medicate in your particular ways?
3. What are the top triggers that seem to push you toward your personal prescription? What pain are you trying to avoid?
4. What are the prescriptions offered in the Ephesians verses noted earlier?
5. What does it mean to take on Jesus’ yoke? How is that different than the yoke you’re wearing now?
6. How will life look and feel different if you trade your current prescription for Jesus’? What things will change?
7. What keeps you from trusting Jesus’ prescription enough to get it filled?