Buying The Lies of This World; Amy Winehouse In Memoriam
Proverbs 23: 23 Buy the truth and do not sell it-- wisdom, instruction and insight as well (NIV)
Another tragic death this week. Another super star passing far before her time. The decades of my life are littered with the bodies of the talented who bought into the lies of this world until those lies killed them. From Marilyn Monroe to John Belushi. From Janis Joplin to Chris Farley. And now from the celebrity ghosts of our past to Amy Winehouse. She was only 27 years old. Let that sink in a moment while we start to consider what she bought into during her very short stay in this world.
It was widely known that Amy Winehouse had serious problems with alcohol and drug abuse. During one hospitalization it was reported that she overdosed on heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and alcohol. That's at one time. This world constantly sells us on alcohol and drugs as a way to fit in, feel more "normal", or escape from the world. Alcohol is advertised as something that sports stars do and cheerleaders love. The devil works overtime convincing us that there is an escape from this world in drugs and alcohol. But those promises are fleeting and always end the same way. The escape is always temporary and always costs you more than you bargained for. The end result is you start spending more time dealing with the behavior which becomes a problem, than an addiction. The Bible speaks clearly about not allowing our minds to become so polluted:
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1Thessalonians 5: 6 (ESV)
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 1Peter 4: 7 (ESV)
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, Titus 2: 12 (NKJV)
Sober is also translated as self controlled. And that really gets to the heart of the matter. Alcohol and drugs are about losing your self control. You turn it over to the drug in exchange for a sense of euphoria or detachment from reality. You are no longer in complete control of your mind. As with all worldly systems, this is in direct opposition to God:
Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, "Who can know the L ord 's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1Corinthians 2: 15-16 (NLT)
When saved, the mind of Christ is in control. In fact one of the fruits of having the Holy Spirit within us is self control. When you have God's spirit, you will find no real need to escape this world because you will have already overcome it through Christ!
Besides drugs and alcohol, Amy Winehouse dealt with an eating disorder. She was actually quoted as saying that she "flirted with every eating disorder there is." The psychology of eating disorders is grounded in self worth and self-image. The person suffering from eating disorders has a distorted and often completely inaccurate view of how they look. They confuse how they feel, possibly unloved, for how they look. Another lie of the world is that somehow emaciation is attractive when in reality it is unhealthy. Yet who is on every billboard? The other lie is that beauty is somehow only evaluated by other people. Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder but rather the Creator:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139: 14 (NIV)
