I know sometimes Christians tend to hear such words as
"Jesus loves you", or "You are precious." so much
until they can become like the words spoken by employees behind a
counter: "Thank you. We appreciate you!" followed by those
famous, sometimes annoying words...."have a nice day!"
You just know the person saying them is driven like a motor
stuck in gear and may not really give a hoot what day you have
once you are out of sight. The natural tendency is to say:
"Don't tell me what kind of day to have!" Ha!
But in our darkest moments, when we're at our weakest God has a way
of really letting us know how precious we are.
To this day I have never forgotten how God got this point across when
my son was just four years of age.
I was reading the Three Bears to him. He was such a cute and precious
child, and smart too. He had the book memorized, line for line, and
if I skipped a part he let me know by reciting it verbatim.
Except on one occasion. I skipped a whole sentence, being hung over
from the whiskey binge the night before. I had a bad drinking problem
at that time and whiskey poisoning had already consumed me twice
that month, arresting my breathing, with pains in my chest.
My young son stopped my reading. I thought he was going to correct my
misreading. Instead he said: "Daddy daddy! Guess what Jesus just told
me?" His excitement was fresh and pure. But it scared me.
I was expecting God to rebuke me through some powerful word of
knowledge channeled through my son.
Reluctantly, I replied, "What baby. What did Jesus just tell you?"
Josh said, "Jesus just told me daddy.... I am precious!"
Wow! Was I relieved! My heart softened. I swallowed and began to
breathe again! Until Josh became excited again, saying:
"Daddy daddy! Guess what else Jesus also just told me!!!"
My heart froze. Here it comes. God is speaking to me through the lips
of this innocent one!
Again reluctantly, I replied: "What'd Jesus say son?"
"Jesus said, 'YOU precious too daddy!' "
he said.
My heart melted and I wept. I was totally defenseless.
Then my son said this: "Jesus also just said something daddy."
Without any reluctancy I quickly asked, "What'd Jesus say baby?"
Now here is where it gets strange. My son's voice changed to that of a
grown man's. I kid you NOT! The words that escaped from my son's
lips were:
"IF YOU DO NOT STOP DRINKING-YOU WILL DIE!"
I was freaked out. I stopped drinking for three weeks, until the
cravings got so bad I went to a bar for a drink.
I sat at a table with my full whiskey glass without sipping any.
Finally I took a small sip. Conviction overrode the carnal desire to
down it all. I sat there thinking what had been spoken to me through
my small son. It was not the first time my life had been spared from
listening to warnings from him.
The last time a warning had been issued through him he said:
"Be careful around curve daddy, or you have wreak!"
Those words exactly. It was around a curve when a master link on my
chain snapped, locking up my ten foot long Harley chopper. I found
myself above the handle bars, still gripping but in a hand stance on
22 inch ape hangers. And I was barely putt-ing.
A painful cramp struck me with a hollow bitterness feeling in my
stomach, so I excused myself and went to the restroom.
I began to sweat heavily and felt hot and dizzy.
Once back at the table, a friend, seeing the ice melting in my near
full glass, asked if I was going to drink my bourbon and coke, and if
not, could he have it.
I handed it to him and being the expert drinker he was, took a sniff
first and then barely let the fluid touch his tongue. He smacked his
lips and a frown came on his face.
"This is laced Scotty. Someone put something in your drink!
I wouldn't drink it! It's bad!" he said, while pouring it out in a
large trash container!
Whatever was put in that drink, from just one sip, caused numbness on
my whole left side and left me terribly sick for three days in bed.
I'd awake gasping for breath, with that feeling that I was dying!
During those days of sickness and fever I began to realize what Jesus
was trying to get through to me.
Jesus knew how bad an alcoholic I was. Sure He wanted me to
straighten up to clean soberness, but that warning was not one of
condemnation and hell fire judgement that He was threatening,
if I continued in such a lifestyle. That sort of lifestyle has it's
own judgements. He was only wanting to save my life and spare my soul
the pains of death sin brings.
It is because I am really precious to Him,... something I had trouble
believing myself, due to such a low self esteem. But it is because He
sees us as precious that He had rearranged the stage setting, knowing
my act, to prevent it from being my last.
After I gave Him the bottle, (in a sling against a rock),
I made no promises still, but one.
Afraid that I would fail Him again, I made no promises to "never let
whiskey cross my lips", but only that; "I will love Thee!"
His reply to me was: "Isn't that all I've ever asked; that you love
me?"
I think I wept more that night than when I was first converted.
Thereafter, the drinking problem I once had....suddenly was simply
pas un problème.
You Precious Too © Copyright 2002 by
Chaplain Scott
All rights reserved to
www.chaplainscott.com
"Inspiration With An AttiTUDE!"
Written: Aug. 22, 2002: 6:14 AM CST.
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You Precious Too
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