"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1}

As an associate pastor in a previous church, I was asked to officiate the funeral for the mother of a young lady who was a faithful member of our church.

Her parents attended other churches in the area, visiting our Services only on a couple of occasions. Fortunately, the mother had a strong testimony of having been genuinely born again through faith in Jesus Christ.

As I asked the family about their wife and mother in an effort to learn of her life and character, I was charmed by the woman I was meeting belatedly. To enable me to get to know her even more intimately, the family loaned me a journal she kept. In it were several prayers that she had written out in longhand, and obviously had prayed with fervent intensity. One entry especially fascinated me:

Lord, I pray that my husband comes to realize that the alcohol he drinks is robbing him of being the real man that he is, and is keeping him from reaching any goals he may have.

That was a shocking indictment of a man's behavior by the human being who knew him better than anybody -- perhaps even better than he knew himself. I was intrigued with the thought that this man, who claimed to be saved, had probably indulged in alcohol consumption thinking that it was a sign of his manliness. It took the woman who loved him absolutely to unmask the truth, and reveal that his beer and booze were robbing him of his manhood, not enhancing it.

Would God more of our men would realize this truth, and stop trying to find their identity and courage in the bottom of a bottle. They would be far more manly facing their responsibilities head-on, while listening to their pastor and heeding the Holy Spirit. May this dead wife shine the light of truth on their foolishness, and help them find repentance.