Last week I was given hope by two men beginning to speak openly about their alcoholism. One was Robert Smith, retired Minnesota Viking’s running back and ESPN commentator (read his story here). The other was my college friend, Brett Smith (read his story here).
How could it ever be said that hearing these men’s struggles would be a blessing to me?
1. It showed me again that I’m not the only human who is deeply flawed, battling a sinful heart.
2. It reminded me that really good men are also sitting ducks, exposed, vulnerable to Satan’s deception and their own self-destruction.
3. It assured me that God pursues after struggling sinners to rescue them from destruction.
4. It challenged me to be more open about my sin because that’s when Christ’s power is perfected in me (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
5. It comforted me that the gospel is true. God is not judging me based on my good performance but on Jesus’ perfect performance. I am perfectly righteous in Him.
6. It encouraged me that I will not always struggle with sin. Jesus is delivering us from the body of this death and one day there will be no sin in me at all, ever again.
I hope reading these stories will give you greater confidence in Christ’s perfect righteousness which is now yours and that you are not the sum total of your failures. I also hope it will speak to others who struggle with destructive sins calling them to become open about it and find healing like they never imagined.
