Amy Did Not Have To Die

The last thing I want to talk or write about is some athlete or entertainer's abuse of drugs or alcohol, or other criminal activity. I would not write about it now, but it is just destroying too many lives. The latest story involves Grammy Award winning singer Amy Winehouse. Until I looked for information about her on the internet I could not have told you a thing about her. I did not know a single title of any of her songs, or even what kind of music she sang. I only know she was a singer. When I saw that she died Saturday at the age of 27, I thought I would learn more about her. In my search for information about the singer, I read a cutline in one article that read, "How can someone so talented be so self-destructive?" That is a fair question. Drug and alcohol abuse is nothing but a fast, one way ticket to hell. How, after everything that people have seen and heard, and maybe experienced, how could one possibly even think about experimenting with the stuff? And if someone is addicted, why wouldn't they stop and seek help immediately and get their life back? Abuse has destroyed so many lives and ripped the heart out of so many families that it painful to think about. Life is not supposed to be that way. Amy Winehouse did not have to die at 27. Neither did Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin or Kurt Cobain. They were all 27. Today's Winning Thought: I pray that you or your loved ones never have to experience the pain of substance abuse. If you are in the midst of a crisis do not lose hope. Stephen Arterburn, co-founder of Minirth Meier New Life Clinics, said sometimes God gives us what we ask for and sometimes He doesn't. But when we are so broken that we have no idea what to request, God can begin to do His most amazing work.