{"id":932,"date":"2011-03-08T17:04:35","date_gmt":"2011-03-08T22:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=932"},"modified":"2011-12-12T09:28:11","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T14:28:11","slug":"captain-morgan%e2%80%99s-hopeless-escape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/captain-morgan%e2%80%99s-hopeless-escape\/","title":{"rendered":"Captain Morgan\u2019s Hopeless Escape"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HandI’m done…I give up<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong>What exactly is going through your mind as you find yourself staring at the wine cabinet again? Maybe you think there\u2019s hope & rest on the other side of those bottles. Maybe you\u2019re sick and tired of all the pain & discouragement you\u2019re experiencing day\u2026after day\u2026after torturous day. You just want it all to stop. You just want it all to go away. You\u2019d rather be numb to the pain and disconnected from consequence, or guilt, or shame.<\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019re emotionally exhausted. You\u2019ve been fighting and fighting for so long you can\u2019t even remember why you\u2019re fighting. What started out as a seemingly honorable quest has turned into a tangled mess of mental and physical fatigue. And now\u2026you simply want to escape.<\/p>\n

The fight is no longer worth it. Living up to everyone\u2019s expectations; believing the lies you keep telling yourself; it\u2019s just not working anymore. It no longer matters what people think. It\u2019s time they see the real you. You\u2019re not all put together. Your shoulders aren\u2019t that broad. You\u2019ve decided you\u2019re just gonna quit and give up. You\u2019re gonna unplug. You\u2019re gonna\u2026escape.<\/p>\n

The Truth<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong>\u2026but the truth is, you\u2019ve been down that road already. You know better than anyone how that fairy tale ends because you\u2019ve been there. Captain Morgan\u2019s escape is at best temporary, and at worst, leaves you devoid of the mental capacity to make coherent decisions. So\u2026if you reach for the captain\u2019s hand and follow him down that road again, you know you\u2019re just going to regain consciousness right where you left off\u2026or maybe you won\u2019t regain consciousness at all.<\/p>\n

Vaguely Familiar<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong>There is a different road. One that maybe you haven\u2019t been down yet. Or maybe it\u2019s just been a really long time since you\u2019ve been down it. This road is a bit different. It\u2019s not one that you can travel in your own strength. It\u2019s not even one that you can travel while standing. No\u2026success on this road starts with you on your knees. When was the last time you cried to God in true and honest desperation? When was the last time you admitted to Him that if He didn\u2019t give you the strength, you wouldn\u2019t be able to go on. He longs for you to pour out your heart to Him. He longs to surround you with his powerful wings (Ps. 17:7-9). He desires for you to be completely controlled by His Spirit (Eph. 5:18).<\/p>\n

Hard\u2026not Hopeless<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong>This road will still be difficult. Christ has already taught\/shown us that it will take blood, sweat, and tears (literally). If we take this road, we will learn to expect hardship. We will learn to expect difficulty. And we will learn the humility of not being able to traverse this road in our own strength. And therein lies a beautiful truth; that although this road is difficult, it is far from hopeless.<\/p>\n

Isaiah 40:28-31
\nHave you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n