Recently while exercising and watching some You Tube videos, I saw a favorite Christian comedian’s routine.  She was describing her relationship with her mother and the phrases she used to say while raising her children.  She said,

“Mother thought everything led to beer.  ‘Don’t dance – that leads to beer! Don’t watch that movie – it leads to beer.'”

The crowd was laughing along as she teased her mom for the strict guidelines and principles she adhered to in mothering. As I listened to her, though, I sadly remembered that the comedian’s spouse died an early death, and most of the decline of his health was caused from alcohol.  The use of alcohol did lead to something more, just as her mom had warned.

My heart breaks for this dear lady.  I respect her for her tenacity and am saddened with her at the grief of losing her mate.  But as I continued listening to the routine, I realized that he had allowed a little bit of drinking, as is anyone’s liberty to do, to become a master in his life.  In other words, he eventually lived to drink.  He was a slave to it.  Did he start out that way?  Of course not.  He made the choice to have a beer or drink wine, but soon it replaced the need for dependence on Christ, and he became dependent on the alcohol. I choose not to drink because I want to stay committed to a dependence on Christ alone – not a substance.

Scripture gives us the liberty to make choices as believers.  In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul quotes a popular slogan in Corinth. The slogan was: “All things are lawful for me.” All things are lawful for me. And Paul says, “Yes, but, I will not be enslaved by anything. Yes, I can do—as a Christian—I’m free to do whatever God gives me the direction to do, but I’m not going to be enslaved by anything.” We may decide to “take wine for our stomach’s sake,” but have no desire to become an alcoholic.  But it does happen.  I choose not to drink because I don’t want to give myself the opportunity to become a slave to alcohol.

Don’t taste what you don’t want to hunger for.

`Ravi Zacharias

Sadly, I also have seen the terrible affects alcohol can have on others.  It happened several years ago when my daughter and son-in-law were hit head-on by a drunk driver going the wrong way on the Interstate. The pictures above show the results of the cars – what you don’t see is the horror of that night and the terror it left in their hearts for months afterwards.  I choose not to drink because I don’t want to destroy someone else’s life because of alcohol.

It’s said that what we do in moderation, our children will do in excess.  In other words, if I moderately drink, my children will do more than that.  That’s scary.   I choose not to drink because I don’t want to destroy my testimony as a believer and lead someone else away from God.

Yes, you have the right to choose to drink, but you can’t choose the consequences.  Those are too steep for me.   I choose not to drink because the consequences can be severe.

This is my opinion – my standard – my conviction.  I’m sharing it because it has been heartbreaking to see the devastation of alcohol very near me.  I realize there are many vices aside from alcohol, and I want the Lord to keep me moderate in those areas, too.  I write this because I care.  If you choose to use it, be careful…it might lead to more than you anticipated.