BLANK PAGES

My friend in Cesis has only been a Christian for a couple of years but what a different man he has become. It is almost as if he is making an effort to reclaim those lost years of prison and alcohol abuse by his commitment to his new life.

He is a great carpenter, especially on interior projects. He has been working on the Davana for us, building shelves, counters and finishing out the trim work. I noticed a paperback notebook one day and picked it up to thumb through it. It was my friend's journal and on some of the pages he had written certain scriptures or questions he might have about what he had read that day in the Bible. I was so impressed with how devoted he was to his daily time with God and the Bible.

Last week at the Men's Bible Study, he shared with the group that he still struggles with his alcohol problem but that it was getting better. He felt that he was getting a better handle on the temptation but that it was a daily struggle. He then shared with the rest of the group about his little notebook. He told them about the things he wrote in it but also how it made him ashamed sometimes.

When he flips through the book and sees an empty page, he knows that was a day that he was drinking. He knows he wasn't able to beat the temptation that day, he wasn't able to spend the time with the One he needs for his strength in this battle.

I just sat there ashamed and humbled by this man's words. How many pages of my life-journal are blank? How many days does God not write a single word on my pages because I don't spend the time with Him like I should? How many wasted days have caused blank pages to appear in my journal?

My friend has drinking problem; I have a laziness and self-discipline problem. Would you pray for us both?