Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer reveals a soul caught in the mire of anxiety, toiling for a cruel master. You say you want to stay home and drink until you pass out; but this is not rest, only a deeper slavery. How long will you stir up this mud? The devil scourges you with fears and tremblings far worse than any bodily stripes. Your stress, your shaking hands, your sweats, these are the wages of that bitter taskmaster. Yet do not despair. The Holy Spirit who wrought the unspeakable miracle of the Virgin Birth can also work a new creation in you. Do not weary yourself asking how; only know that it is His work.
You desire to be a better husband and father. This is good. For if you exercise the highest perfection yet neglect others who are perishing, you gain no confidence before God. Your sobriety is not for yourself alone; it is for your wife, whose heart you beg to be softened, and for your children, whom you see walking in harm’s way. Do not use your weariness as an excuse to flee from love. The blessed Paul chose to suffer hunger rather than offend a brother; he pleased all in all things, not for his own ease, but for their salvation.
Cast off this earthly craving that promises pleasure but delivers only greater anxiety. The relief you seek in the bottle is a fleeting shadow; it withers the soul and disfigures the beauty God desires. Cultivate instead the inward adornment of a sober mind, which no disease or age can spoil. That beauty blooms forever in the nuptial chamber undefiled.
As for the future, the projects, your daughter’s job, your son’s habits, the Spirit has promised to show us things to come, not that we be consumed with worry, but that we meet them without alarm. Entrust them to Him. He knows your frame and will supply the mercy you need, for teachers and fathers require a double portion of mercy.
Groan not only in your bed, but lift your eyes to heaven. God sends His Word, His own compunction, to lead you out of this Egypt. Rise and go to your work, not in your own strength, but clinging to the promise that where the Spirit works, nothing is impossible. Sober up, not merely from wine, but from the intoxication of anxious cares. Your forgiveness hangs upon this: that you turn from the mire and walk in obedience, bearing the burdens of those around you. The Lord is rich in mercy and will not despise a broken heart.
You desire to be a better husband and father. This is good. For if you exercise the highest perfection yet neglect others who are perishing, you gain no confidence before God. Your sobriety is not for yourself alone; it is for your wife, whose heart you beg to be softened, and for your children, whom you see walking in harm’s way. Do not use your weariness as an excuse to flee from love. The blessed Paul chose to suffer hunger rather than offend a brother; he pleased all in all things, not for his own ease, but for their salvation.
Cast off this earthly craving that promises pleasure but delivers only greater anxiety. The relief you seek in the bottle is a fleeting shadow; it withers the soul and disfigures the beauty God desires. Cultivate instead the inward adornment of a sober mind, which no disease or age can spoil. That beauty blooms forever in the nuptial chamber undefiled.
As for the future, the projects, your daughter’s job, your son’s habits, the Spirit has promised to show us things to come, not that we be consumed with worry, but that we meet them without alarm. Entrust them to Him. He knows your frame and will supply the mercy you need, for teachers and fathers require a double portion of mercy.
Groan not only in your bed, but lift your eyes to heaven. God sends His Word, His own compunction, to lead you out of this Egypt. Rise and go to your work, not in your own strength, but clinging to the promise that where the Spirit works, nothing is impossible. Sober up, not merely from wine, but from the intoxication of anxious cares. Your forgiveness hangs upon this: that you turn from the mire and walk in obedience, bearing the burdens of those around you. The Lord is rich in mercy and will not despise a broken heart.

