Prohibition
I live in the state that has the highest amount of alcohol consumed per capita than any other state. Way to go – we’re number one…right (hear my sarcasm please). The problems that inevitably follow this status also plague our state. Accidents, children following in the way of their parents at an early age, broken families, abuse, neglect, etc.
As I’ve been pondering the solution to this in the recent months, I’ve watched two PBS specials that shed some light on solutions that have been pursued in the past. Have any of you watched the show on prohibition? I’ve only watched a little bit of it because sometimes it’s just too depressing. Some good Christian ladies started off with a mission of curbing alcoholism and its effects through teetotalling and eventually outlawing liquor altogether. But, unfortunately, their mission was an ultimate failure. Why?
The reason is deeper than controlled substances and their effect upon our bodies. Because this whole conversation isn’t really about drinking alcohol, anyway. It’s about how the law effects our hearts.
Romans 8 comes to mind when I think about this:
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
As it turns out, laws don’t actually change people. They sometimes cause the opposite effect: creating a desire to break laws. I think we need to keep this in mind when we are tempted to create more laws for ourselves in order to tame our behaviors. Laws don’t change hearts. And this is the root problem.
Only God can change a heart. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit alive in us, can we see true transformations in our lives. I can see why people thought that eliminating booze from society would create a better world, but it doesn’t help the fact that our hearts are dead from sin.
There was another PBS special on recently about the revivals in the last 1800’s in America. Wow-what a difference! People gathering in the tents to hear charismatic preachers and turning their lives over to Christ. Lives changes dramatically and all those unhealthy behaviors started to fade away. It’s amazing to hear a non-Christian talk about how these revivals made a distinct impact on society. Drinking was down, people realized the importance of working hard, their morals changes and their lives changed. This was because of internal changes made by Jesus Christ, not any external laws.
I’m thinking about Lent this year and what I want to do so that I’ll focus more on Jesus and less on this world. But, I realize that creating rules and laws for myself won’t change who I am on the inside. So, I want to make sure that at the heart of my Lent rituals is more time with Jesus, more time sitting in His presence allowing Him to change me from the inside out.
Heather, I love your thoughts on Lent. We practiced Lent as a Methodist family when I was a girl and growing up many of my Catholic frieds did so.
The spiritual disciples are not ours, but the Holy Spirit’s in which He allows us to participate as an act of worship. The temptation is great to turn it into penance, an offering of self-sacrifice to God (isn’t this what Jesus did for us because we were unworthy to do it ourselves?), or succeed in building pride, not humility.
It is such a fine line, but all that we do should be done to draw us to Christ in our weakness to depend on His everything (strength, forgiveness, provision…..)
Your post is very thought-provoking. I wrestle.
I think you are right when you said that it is an issue of the heart. There can be laws of all sorts, but those won’t “fix” what is really going on. Jesus is the One who heals our hearts. In Him, we find true peace.
Amen, more of Him, less of me.
I am so with you on this, Heather. I want to be changed from the inside out this Lent. And you are right; more laws really don’t change people, unless they are changed in the heart first.
What a beautiful reminder to us, there is no better time to focus on Gods laws as the Lent Season. May we never forget His sacrifice and take the laws for granted. Thanks for sharing!