Jesus Can Help

Q:

Andre's letter

My friends are talking about their 401Ks and their retirement savings, and I am thinking I can have $170 in the bank if I don't eat lunch this week.

I am thinking that I will have to work well into my 70s.

I am thinking that I am helpless.

I am thinking that the gambling is killing me--has killed me.

Then I meet a friend who changes the way I think.

His name is Jesus.

Jesus says to me: You have a great job paying you 90K a year, which is a salary in the top 10% of American salaries. You have your health. You have some of your youth left, too. These are the things I have given you to help you survive and thrive and you are worrying about the things you have thrown away and lost. Those things are gone, Andre, because you used to be a fool. Do not think about them anymore. Think on these new things--the sun that rose today, the sweet air you breathe, your job that sustains you. Do not weep over spilled milk--pour yourself a new glass of milk and drink it lustily.

And I say to him: But I have so little and it is so hard.

And he says to me: The devil is a liar. You do not have so little. You have a lot. And it is not hard. It is easy.

And I say to him: There is no cure for this addiction. No matter how hard I try to stay away, I keep going back to the casino. No matter how much I have, or how much I will potentially have, the casino will eventually take it away.

And he says to me: The devil is a liar. The casino will not take it away. The casino has never taken it away. You give it away to the casino.

And I say to him: Either way, it is still gone.

And he says to me: Give your life to me for six months. Just six months. And I shall cure you of your addiction. And I shall fix your financial situation. Do you believe that I can?

And I say to him: I believe.

And he says to me: Then give your life to me.

And I give my life to him.

And I gave my life to him for six months.

Six months later, my addiction was gone.

Six months later, my finances were still dreadful but well on their way to being fixed.

Six months later, I wonder why I ever went to a casino in the first place.

Six months later, I counsel other gamblers who seek a way out.

The way out is Jesus.

Try Jesus.

Give your life to him now.

Andre** W*** B******** (Name Withheld)

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A:Okay, Lord knows I cannot argue against any method that proves to be a successful cure for a gambling addiction. If it works for you, then good--and I have met many former gamblers who got back on the right track after they had turned to God. In fact, there are many times when GA reminds me a whole lot of the churching I used to do when I was a kid. In fact, if you replace the words "higher power" with the word "God," then most 12-step programs sorta kinda look like and act like church. I just wonder what happens to the people of other religions (Jews, Hindus, and Muslims, for example) who want to kick the habit.

So yeah, seek Jesus. Seek anybody who can help you beat this thing.