I went to the local bar. This bar
is also our small town grill that serves wonderful food. We go there often to eat. But in the back of my mind there has always been
the gnawing thought that maybe the other people there are wondering what I am
ordering to drink. Are they wondering if this Coke is spiked? Since everyone knows I’m not supposed to
drink, they probably figured I was there to drink alcoholically. They probably all figure I’m relapsing.
Crazy, right? Self-centered. All about
me. Am I an all-out egomaniac?
But something different happened this
week. I went to the bar and grill and
didn’t have those thoughts! I walked in the door and wasn’t self-conscious
about it being a bar. I wasn’t dreading
who might be there or what they might believe about me.
What
made the change? God did. A friend prayed for me. She prayed that I would no
longer fear my interactions with those in our community. She prayed that I
wouldn’t fear judgement by these folks that I have lived among for over 30
years. These are people who know about me. They have heard it all. They know my
entire drinking story. Today I was no longer worried about their memories of
me. How else do we get free from fear and pride but by facing them with power
from on high?
Prayers
matter. Prayers work.
Thank you,
friend. Thank you, God.
