Though I have never been diagnosed by a therapist, I know what it feels like to be on the verge of depression.
Though I have been gone bankrupt, I know what it has felt like to lose it all.
Though I have never been convicted by a judge for a crime, I know what it feels like to feel guilty for my actions.
To have the weight of the world on my shoulders
To experience rejection.
To feel hopeless.
Unwanted.
Overwhelmed.
Useless.
Angered
Saying that, I have never used a drug or taken prescription medicine to put myself into a state of high but maybe I can see why they want that escape. I mean look at that list; it isn’t something you want to feel. It isn’t the way any of us want to live.
From talking to others in that state of “high”, everything seems to be ok. Problems just escape your brain for the time being. The weight of the world is gone. There is no time to worry in the land of ultimate chill.
But after a few hours, or days, whatever time, the effects start to fade. Reality sets in again.
Once again the thoughts come back:
Unwanted
Overwhelmed
Useless
Angered
So what usually happens: rush back to the “high”. Forget the troubles that lie underneath. Learn to pretend they don’t exist.
And this back-and-forth continues on and on.
Though I have never smoked joint or snorted a line, I can sympathize with this swing in another way. Except the swing went from everything being awesome to the world ending.
Growing up, it seemed like I heard so many sermons taught over the passage in Revelation 3.
“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
It seemed like this was the sermon to preach when your church was growing small or people stopped giving their tithe or when we stopped giving to the poor. (Now, do I think that we should be doing all of those things? Of course.)
So what usually followed these types of sermons?
More Bible reading
Church attendance sky rocketed.
Worship services hit a whole new peak in emotion and passion
People volunteered their weekends to help clean up
They did anything to right the wrong for feeling “guilty” for their lack of action.
I call this the “summer camp high” or the “spiritual high” or rather the ultimate high.
One passage of Scripture that came to mind was Romans 10:1-4
“Believe me, friends, all I want for Israel is what's best for Israel: salvation, nothing less. I want it with all my heart and pray to God for it all the time. I readily admit that the Jews are impressively energetic regarding God—but they are doing everything exactly backward. They don't seem to realize that this comprehensive setting-things-right that is salvation is God's business, and a most flourishing business it is. Right across the street they set up their own salvation shops and noisily hawk their wares. After all these years of refusing to really deal with God on his terms, insisting instead on making their own deals, they have nothing to show for it.” (The Message)
But this doesn’t solve the problem. Something is still wrong. There is sin to pay for. And when the effects of this high wear off, there is still lukewarmness inside.
This is why it is the ultimate high. For that brief amount of time, anyone can think that they are safe for the things that they have done. That God owes them. For that time, they are deceived that they are anything but deserving God’s wrath.
Is this high not the same as the drug induced one? We run to both to escape the reality that something is wrong. To pretend. To not have to worry. And the cycle continues and continues and continues…
How can we break this never ending cycle? Where can we run to escape from this?
Thank God that He sent His Son, Jesus.
The answer lies in His redemptive work on the cross.
The plan of action is repentance.
The life we live should be that of faithful submission to this truth: We are all sinners in need of salvation. Through faith in Jesus, we can stop getting high.
“…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
