Holy Week2

Tuesday (4/11/06), at Lions Club, I brought Maj. Wendell Cofer as our speaker. Maj. Cofer helped to explain the need for a Community Anti-Drug Coalition and tell what it would do for our community.

Many ask the theological question: why do people do drugs. Taking drugs is a symptom of a larger, deeper spiritual and emotional problem. The problem of original sin, coupled with even a mild mental illness and/or emotional diificulty, leads us to self-medicate our problems. Many of us medicate through foods, some through alcohol, some with drugs. These "medications" become idols. The difference, as a "Frontline" report showed this year, is that Crystal Meth has a much higher feeling of euphoria than any other drug. The amount of Dopamine produced by using that drug is so great, that it overpowers the pleasure centers of the brain. It becomes a god to its user. We can more easily leave idolatry behind, trust God, and recover from food and alcohol abuse.

The sickness and mental illness of other drugs are more difficult to heal. Meth has only a 3-5% recovery rate. Prevention is the best medicine. As Christians, we can seek to help friends and neighbors to heal through the grace and love of Jesus Christ. God's grace is the best medicine. During Holy Week, we remember the expensive price of that grace. Such an expensive and abundant gift, how could we not share it.