Watching What you Drink
"Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and
drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and
jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ." (Rom 13:13-14 NLT)
When I began my first semester of college I am sorry to say that I didn’t get
off to a good start. My friends and I, excited with our new found freedom from
parental supervision, spent far too many hours in the campus pub and far too few
in the campus library. Thankfully, three things helped to shock me off the
drunken path I was taking and back onto the right one. The first of these was
having people telling me about all of the stupid things I had done while
drinking that I didn’t even remember doing. The second was seeing my first
semester grades and realizing just how low my beer powered brain had made them.
The straw that broke the camel’s back, though, happened on an evening when I
decided to stay in my dorm room and go to bed early. I had only been asleep a
few hours when my roommate came in from a night at a local bar. Heartbroken over
a breakup with a girlfriend he had drowned his sorrows in 13 shots of whiskey.
Stumbling over to our bunk beds he stepped on me as he struggled his way up to
his top one. Then laying down he let out a sad moan and proceeded to throw up.
After stripping off his dripping, vomit soaked sheets and helping him back into
bed I decided that it would probably be best if I didn’t drink alcohol anymore.
I still carry the wisdom of that lesson with me even now. I know that whatever
we drink into our hearts and minds will sooner or later come back out of us. If
we are always drinking down shots of anger, frustration, jealousy, envy, fear,
and hate then sooner or later that is what is going to come spewing out of us as
well. If we watch what we drink, however, and gulp down glasses of love, peace,
prayer, kindness, goodness, and closeness with God everyday then that is what
will pour out of our souls and bless all those around us. May all of your drinks
then be divine ones that bring you only joy and wonderful oneness with God.
Cheers.
By: Joseph J. Mazzella