Nine years ago today, I broke a destructive drinking habit. There was a time I couldn't imagine going a day without drinking. Life just didn't seem worth living if I couldn't drown my thoughts and drink myself into oblivion every day.

When the shame of being a drunk became overwhelming, I decided to stop. It was scary. I was giving up my crutch, ready to face the cold, cruel reality of sobriety. No more excuses.

My sobriety is one of the main reasons I'm always harping on "personal responsibility." It seems that too many people get away with making excuses these days, and I have no patience for excuses. And this is where I have to be careful. We all have weaknesses and vices, and at one time or another, we all need compassion.

Too much moralizing can lead to too little compassion. As I listen to people make excuses for their weaknesses (alcoholism, drug addiction, bad decisions, dumb choices, whatever), I think, If I could overcome it, why can't you? Stop wallowing! But I didn't overcome alcoholism without help. Although I chose to attempt it without a support group, I didn't do it alone. I had a compassionate and merciful Creator on my side.

There, but for God's grace, go I.

Christians know that although we choose to do stupid things, we can't thwart God's plan. With every decision we make, God can and does achieve his purpose for our lives and the whole world. The decision to take that first sip was the continuation of a plan God had foreordained for me before the foundation of the world.

Each believer was drawn to God in his/her own unique way. This is what Christians call our testimony. We give evidence, so to speak, of how God saved us. Imagine yourself on the witness stand, sworn to tell the truth. Spectators listen as you talk about where you once were, where you are now, and how you got there. As Christians, we're to tell our personal story of redemption, and then share the "good news": you, too, can be redeemed, forgiven, and made whole.

Through my savior Jesus Christ, God has forgiven me. Whenever I get the urge to sit in judgment of others, I must always remember that a compassionate and loving God showed me grace. If a perfect, just, and holy God can do that for me, how can I, a fallen creature, withhold it from others?

(Cross-posted at La Shawn Barber's Corner)