Understanding Self-Destructive Patterns

Are we unknowingly turning to remedies that are slowly destroying us?

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:13

This is simple thought , simple prayers . Here's a simple thought . George Washington was an icon , war hero , leader , president . He was a conquering legend On par with Charlemagne or King Todd or Cyrus the Great or Octavian , only sans all the controversy . By most not all , mind you , but by most standards he was considered a decent , if not good , human being , especially in view of the massive amount of power ceded to him . So it is strange indeed to take this monumental human and read about a less than grand demise . Basically , washington was slowly bled to death . One might expect this of a general at war .

Speaker 1 0:58

Only Washington , by this point in his life , was a 67 year old statesman . He was very much retired . He spent his time farming and dreaming and trying just to help out the newly formed United States however he could . But very little of this would cause bloodshed . No , it was the leeches that did that . You see , washington had come down with an illness that left him nearly speechless , with swollen throat and sweating dread . An overseer of the estate was called in and he leached Washington . This was the common practice of the day . This is like their Tylenol I come home and I'm not feeling well and my wife throws some Tylenol at me in the same way , and this day they would just throw leeches on each other and then go sleep it off . And then came the doctors . For a man like Washington , one doctor would not suffice . Three doctors arrived and two of the three physicians this sounds like a continental infomercial of sorts . Two of the three physicians agreed we need more leeches , so they leached him again . And then they leached him again a third time . The youngest of the three doctors spoke against this . He felt the throat operation was a better bet at saving Washington's life and that more bleeding would diminish Washington's dwindling strength . He needs his strength to fight and he can survive this , but we have to stop with the leeches . This doctor was ignored and Washington was leached again and he was bled again , basically to death . He died quickly the next day and he was so swollen and so weakened he didn't get this grandiose send-off speech that you would expect from some conquering legend . He had two very short words . He said "'Tis well" . Then he died .

Speaker 1 2:50

We hear this tale and perhaps we're somewhat appalled at the care he received . We forget in our modernity that these were the standard methods of the day . No , what we see is what this was . This was the path to destruction . And so it goes At the individual level . In every age , in every heart , there are paths to destruction , and these paths are as common as leeches to the experts of that day . They're totally normal things to those around us . But these things bleed us , they drain from us life , vitality and freedom . They steal from us , they kill us , they destroy .

Speaker 1 3:39

And John 10 , jesus speaks on the leech work of evil on the human heart . He says that the thief , evil , the evil one , the thief comes to steal , to kill and to destroy . But it's subtly done , it's acceptable , it's sneaky , it might be slow , it can even be applauded while it's going on . But make no mistake , it's the antithesis to life . Having your blood leave your body does not make you more alive , it makes you less alive . So where are the leeches in your life ?

Speaker 1 4:28

Like Washington , we have a sickness . The symptoms are shame and hiddenness and resentment and bitterness and pain . I mean there's more , the symptomology list , there's more , but it's not about the symptoms as much as it's about where are we turning for healing ? Or , even more pointedly , are we turning to a healing that is actually bringing on more and more destruction ? The leeches were the cure for Washington , but they were also the cause of his death .

Speaker 1 5:06

Do we identify ? Do we identify that the leeches aren't working ? Do we identify that that's a bad route ? Do we identify that , even though everyone else is clapping for this , or that it is destroying me ? One doctor stood by and said no , go a different way . He was not heated . But perhaps in our own life there's a physician who says go a different way .

Speaker 1 5:26

And we can turn our ear towards that . That's my prayer for my life , and now I'll just pray it for yours as well , god . Help us find a better way . We can't just have more leeches and more leeches and more leeches thrown on to cure us of a sickness where leeches don't work . We need a better medicine , we need a better remedy . So be that medicine , be that remedy for us today . Open our eyes to see the things that are destroying us , make us aware of what's doing . Battle against our bodies , against our minds , against our very souls . And let us fight , let us find better ways , let us listen to other voices , not just the ones of kind of conventional worldly wisdom , but deeper and truer routes of wisdom , of thinking , of truth . God , just help us . Help us not to be stolen from Help us not to be killed , help us not to be destroyed , give us a vitality , give us a strength , give us a courage , give us life and give it to us abundantly . This is our prayer today . Lord , help us , amen .