Originally posted by Shiloh:
Helen, Would you be the exception to the rule? The first thing God gave us is our family. I'm sure that with all your good things you have done you have a exemplarity family..... The next time you have your glass of wine, think about your children.
I was raised in a non-Christian home. It was also a home where some European traditions were strong. From the time I was about ten family celebrations included a tiny bit of wine, a sip or so, for us. As a result, by the time I got to high school I was not at all impressed with those who tried to sneak it or get drunk with it. I thought that was just plain stupid. I did not turn into a drunk!
My children are grown and gone now, except for Chris, who is 21 and profoundly retarded (encephalitis when he was three) and will always be with us. Is the family exemplary? No, it is not. The kids have had their problems. Daddy walked out on us with one of his many other women in 1991 when my youngest was six and my oldest 17. That reverberated through all of our lives horridly. But my oldest is 32 now and a leader in his church. We are immensely proud of him and see him much more as a brother in Christ than as a son.
Here are the mountains the others have had to climb -- and there are still difficulties and climbing to be done.
Son #2 -- his mom gave him Peregoric (an opiate derivative) when he was only a few weeks old so he would stop going to the bathroom and she wouldn't have to change his diapers. This resulted in intenstinal damage which prevented nourishment from going where it should and he ended up with brain damage. He is 29 now and with a Christian group and learning Bible because he wants to now.
Daughter #1 -- diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy when she was 17. Her type is fatal half the time. She wrestled with God about it, rebelling for awhile. She is 26 now and a wonderful Christian wife and she and I are about as close as a mother and daughter can be. When Barry and I have speaking engagements, she is the one I can trust with running the house, caring for Chris, taking care of the animals, and handling everything that goes on here. She is incredible. She is still battling her RSD.
Son #3 -- came to us at five with whipping marks still visible on his face and shoulders. He talked about drinking blood and told us he belonged to the 'debil.' He is 23 now and a college student and doing well.
Daughter #2 -- has amnionic band syndrome, which in her case means several sections of several fingers are missing, her right big toe is missing, and some of the muscle mass in her left thigh is not there. Nevertheless she was princess at her homecoming and at her Sr. Ball in high school. She has also been our permanent rebel. Since she was six. My brother and his wife (who also have wine occasionally) finished raising her at my request and she is up in Washington still in their town. She is now, however, working full time in a group home and talking about going to college. I don't know if she will or not. She is 21.
Son #4 -- Chris -- who had encephalitis, has an IQ that is unmeasureable (below 20), is autistic, cannot speak, and will always be in diapers. He is also 21 now.
My kids all learned to deal with their problems without feeling sorry for themselves. They learned to change Chris' diapers even as he got older. They learned Bible. They learned patience (even Daughter #2!), they learned respect.
Chris is safe where the Lord is concerned. Son and Daughter #1 are both committed Christians. The other three are, I think, coming. All have professed Christianity earlier in their lives, but I worked with kids for too many years to think that necessarily is what their adult committment will be.
The mountains they have climbed and the lives they have learned to live have had NOTHING to do with the fact that I have had a glass of wine occasionally! In fact, that occasional wine sometimes gave me the moment of relaxation and extra patience I needed as the afternoon shift went into the evening shift all those years of single parenting!
It is sure a lot safer than tranquilizers or sedatives! For me it is also a lot safer than a lot of other medications, too. I consider it a gift from God and a real blessing.
I consider water the same way. Salt, too. And, as I mentioned, both of those can poison you, too.
You will notice the Bible NEVER criticizes Noah for getting drunk that once. Never. Personally, I think his drunkenness was a total accident because of the reduced air pressure in the new world. The amount of wine he was used to and which was totally safe in the antediluvian world made him drunk in the new conditions.
Don't tell me he didn't know it would ferment! One SIP of something that is fermented when you didn't expect it and you would spit it out in a hurry! He knew it would ferment and allowed that process on purpose. He had drunk wine before, and yet he was the only righteous man in his generation.
Wine is a gift from God. It can be used or abused. But use does not mean abuse. It is abuse which is spoken of in the Bible. Use is recommended. There is no way around that.
