Escaping

What are you escaping from? I often wondered why I smoked, was it because it made me look cool? gave me focus? gained me honor among co-workers? What was it that made me smoke?

Well to be honest at first I swallowed a big lie, that I was in control of it, just like anyone addicted is in control and can quit at anytime. Not addicted you say, really? really? Lets just look at a few things here first of all, why are we using pills, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, sex, money, work, violence or whatever your poison to escape?

What do we hope to escape? This is satan's lie. take a little pill and tomorrow you will feel as right as rain, its just a little drink what will it hurt, oh come on, no one will ever know, right? Does any of this sound familiar?

Okay Jim, you have all the righteous answers, life is easy for you. Wrong, dead wrong. How could a simple kid from a small town with an average education ever begin to understand the complexities of addiction on his own without first some first hand knowledge of what it is to live with addictions, secondly feel the love in my heart to share this with everyone who reads it.

I tried escaping for years through the use of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, if you could smoke it I've tried it, for a while drank it as well. Took me 38 years to stop killing myself with addictions. Seen friends and family kill themselves, cried myself to sleep over their loss and I know the crying is far from over yet.

Satan uses all sorts of gimmicks and lies to get us to thinking that we can escape all our troubles and woes if we just do this or that, won't hurt anyone, we can stop anytime we want, right? Once addicted, always addicted. There is no halfway, I can never just have one cigarette or one drink or one lie or one whatever.

Addicts are vigilant all the time, knowing the triggers is helpful, knowing we have zero tolerance limits is paramount.

So what's your poison? What are you escaping? Does smoking pot take away the frustration? Content with being lied to? Content with being addicted to death?

Want real answers? Want to stop killing yourself? Want to get away from it all? 

The truth is we can't do it by ourselves, we need a counselor, someone not paid, someone who is always awake, never tires of spending time with us - no matter how much we talk, knows what is really bothering you - but rejoices when you admit things to him.

There is no 800 number, he is here now, he is there now. All it takes is you and an open honest heart. Admit to God you are addicted, you are tired of running away and trying to escape - but need his help, Give him the option to rid this poison from your life once and for all, accept the truth of his words written in the bible they haven't changed, he loves you and me, just love him in return.

Escape the grip addiction has over yourself, don't continue to believe the lie. Need encouragement? Need someone to walk with you? Call upon the holy spirit to come into your life, accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, understand that we are all sinners, everyone of us. Relief from the bondage and lies is right there, within arms reach, no one can do this for you.

Final promise, I will pray for you. I don't want your confession just as you don't want mine, I've already given my burdens to God, he has long since forgotten yesterday and "will forgive me of my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me..." his words not mine.

Don't have a bible? Send me a message, letter, e-mail, whatever, I will mail you one.

papointman@comcast.net   Private Cell: 814-308-2802   720 Toftrees Ave, Apt 309   State College, PA 16803.

God bless us all.

The Great Pretender

Years ago there was a 50's song titled the same as this, same principal different results. The difference being is most of us are great pretenders, I am a christian, everything is just fine. Okay well before we go becoming a lightning rod for presumptions that your life is terrific no fuss and no muss...

Lets consider just how miserable we actually are and need the grace of god just to get past the coffee pot in the morning. Not sure why he even grants us the ability to whine about how our clothes just hang on us, or taxes just keep going up and up or even the price of our expresso-latte foamalotta's or whatever it is we can't stand at the moment.

When we do get past ourselves and realize just how fragile life is, we become much more appreciative of all the little things he provides us with, going un-noticed by most throughout there day. Instead we choose to be miserable or full of pride in what we think is our own abilities, little do we give credit to the real reason we survive.

Instead lets just pretend that fate rests solely in your own hands, your destiny is by your choosing, after all wasn't the world created through chance? Have you ever considered through what process the gases and particles combined to create the complex life forms we now have?

I would venture to say more people spend more time trying to convince themselves they have plenty of time to get right with God then they actually have. Or the alternative is to continue to think "or continue to think outside some box" that pretending is a much better choice.

Not to be confused with escaping....(see the next blog entry for more on Escaping)...

Are you pretending? Are you tired of pretending everything is fine? If you are, maybe now is the time to "get real" with God, come as you are, no one will be turned away. What are you waiting for?