Winning

There is a fable that I read when I was a child called "The Emperor's New Clothes". For those who don't know it, it is the story of a vain emperor who, in order to satisfy his vanity searches for the most fabulous wardrobe. However, when he fails to find a set of clothes that is satisfactory, he decides to parade around his kingdom in the buff. He extols the wonders of his new wardrobe, and his advisors and subjects do the same, marveling at the emperor's exquisite sense of couture. That is, except for one small child who points out the fact that the emperor is in fact, naked.Once confronted with reality, everyone comes around and ridicules the emperor for running around naked. Embarassed, the emperor flees and is never heard from again.

Anywhere you look in the media and on the net, the word "winning" is trending like nobody's business, thanks to Charlie Sheen and his latest misadventures in the world of addiction. All this stems from Sheen's rant a couple of weeks ago during a live interview where he declared amongst other things, that he is "winning".

Most observers agree that Charlie Sheen portrayed himself as anything but a winner during that interview. Delusional? Yes. Self-absorbed? Absolutely. The thing is, there is nothing - absolutely nothing about what we saw in Charlie Sheen's outburst that is uncommon for those caught in the bondage of addiction. The only difference between the crackhead on the corner and Charlie Sheen is that he has a lot of money and a network of enablers to help him perpetuate his sickness. As long as Charlie Sheen made the cash register ring for CBS, studio executives and producers were willing to turn a blind eye to his problem. It was only when his problems threatened to become CBS' problem that the network decided to look "responsible" and take steps to reign Sheen in.

For the garden variety addict, the same is true. We get enabled by family and friends until we go too far. Then, we wind up in the world alone, swirling down the spiral of self destruction. Sometimes, like Charlie Sheen we make a few stops along the way -- jail, hospitals, a few lame attempts at getting clean only to fall back into the vortex that inexorably takes us to the bottom.

At the end of the day, the problem with us is not our addiction. That is just a symptom of a deeper issue. Our real problem is sin. We fall into the trap of addiction as a result of seeking to fulfill our own self will. Once we find that thing that hits our pleasure spot, we pursue it relentlessly without regard for the circumstances. There is a name for this - it is sin. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Our enemy, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeing who he might devour". The evil one does this by showing us the things that satisfy our selfish desire, and then he lets us do the rest until we are hopelessly enslaved.

The thing is that there is hope. Hope for Charlie Sheen. Hope for anyone caught in bondage to sin. Jesus Christ came for the sole purpose of destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Jesus accomplished that with His work on the cross. To those who would follow Him, Jesus doesn't offer a rigorous list of do's and don'ts, but freedom. Jesus encourages us to walk in victory and peace because He has done the hard part. All we have to do is relish in it. That is why He tells us in John 16:33,

"These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations, but have courage; I have overcome the world"

But for His grace, I would be long dead because that was where my path was leading. Through Christ, I walk in the light and freedom of His victory. I don't know about Charlie Sheen, but I do know what God through His Son has done for me. I follow Jesus Christ and I am winning!