Learning Lesson

Learning Lesson

Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. Hebrews 5:8

Pain is a great teacher. I can still remember how the hot stove felt when I touched it for the first time as a child. The burn was so painful that I never made that mistake again.

Many of life’s lessons come through suffering. When we’re learning to drive, it may be a ticket that teaches us that speed limits are laws, not suggestions. If we forget to wear sunscreen at the beach, the painful sunburn will remind us for next time. Some people, though, need more than one encounter with the hot stove or the traffic cop to learn their lesson. But the more times they push their luck, the more dangerous the consequences become.

Bubba was a great hunting and fishing partner, unless he brought along the bottle. Whenever he got together with the sour mash, he focused more on his next drink than on the things that really mattered—like his wife and kids.

Bubba’s wife, Trish, always worried when Bubba spent the weekend fishing on the Tennessee River. She knew he consumed unhealthy amounts of alcohol there. Later, she became concerned when his weekend vice spilled over into Monday through Friday. She asked me to speak to him about it the next time he came in.

A week or so later, when Bubba stumbled through the door. I didn’t have to guess what he’d been up to; I could smell it. His eyes looked a little jaundiced, so I asked him to sit on the table so I could take a closer look.

It was clear that his drinking had become a serious problem, and I ordered some tests. When the results came back, his liver enzymes were sky-high, and his bilirubin reading was twice the normal level. All indications showed hepatic (liver) failure from alcoholism.

“Bubba, all your suffering is self-inflicted. Your only chance of long-term survival is complete abstinence from alcohol.” He had touched the hot stove one too many times, and now the scars would be permanent.

Bubba’s family stood by him as he went through detox and rehab. It was a long road, but he came through. On the seventh anniversary of his sobriety, Bubba threw a party—not at the fishing camp where he used to celebrate but at his church.

TODAY’S RX

Turn away from temptation, and seek the Lord for your fulfillment.

Jesus, you are the great Teacher, and I thank you for teaching me much over my lifetime. You’ve taught me valuable lessons through both joyful and painful experiences, and I pray that I may share those experiences with other to help show them the way.