Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:15-21 (day three)
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit…”
Substance use makes sense as an attempt to avoid otherwise painful places of a person’s inner world. A person seeking such relief will experience shame from others. And now in addition to the internal agony the person lives with, that person must also navigate feelings of disgrace and rejection. It’s awful. Fortunately, Paul’s words here offer compassion. He acknowledges how hard the world is on a person’s heart (“the days are evil”). His words convey the understanding that people do reach for all kinds of things to ease the pain. And then he says that there is a way to the soothing you’re looking for that will not use you up like you are disposable and worthless. That way is the Spirit of God himself.
