The HOPE In Burma

As Ericka and I get closer to heading back to Thailand in a couple of weeks I'm reminded of the amazing people we serve - the Karen. The Karen are the largest ethnic minority group in Burma and parts of Northern Thailand. For decades they have been persecuted, tortured and murdered by a military dictatorship bent on forcing ALL ethnic minority groups out of Burma.

Yet, despite their plight and place in the country of Burma - the Karen people remain faithful to God and HIS Words, even to the point of PRAYING FOR THOSE THAT KILL THEM.

SAY WHAT??!

I get it, that is RIDICULOUS! Why PRAY for people who KILL your husbands, RAPE your wives, and ENSLAVE your children??? 

I mean, REALLY - that part in the Bible where Jesus says, "pray for your enemies", certainly He can't be serious! After all, that's not a today word for us!

Or is it?

The Karen people take a full month out of each year to do just that! And to me THAT'S THE STORY IN BURMA! Not the mounting death toll, the gruesome images or the horrifying tales. Yes, those stories are important, and they should be told. BUT it's the HOPE these people have in the middle of such terrible tragedy that makes us take notice.

That's what sets this story apart - HOPE found in such darkness. The kind of HOPE that only comes from God.

Below is a short clip from an interview I did earlier this year with Free Burma Ranger founder Dave Eubank. He's been running relief missions to displaced people, particularly the Karen for the last 14 years.

10 Years Sober and Counting...

I've been looking forward to THIS day for 10 years!

In fact... I was told about this particular day exactly 10 years ago on October 20, 2001.

You see, I'm 36 now, but for 10 years of my life from the age of 16 to 26 I drank.

I mean, I REALLY drank. In fact, for ten straight years not a weekend went by that I didn't drink - heavily! The way I saw it was who wanted to drink just A beer - when you can drink 30! 

I was an addict. I knew it, and I didn't care. You see, most of the time everything was just fine. I'd go out drink, drive, hang out with friends, party - the whole shot and it'd turn out just fine. However, about 10% of the time things would get WAY out of hand!

Crazy, insane behavior, minor in possession of alcohol tickets (2), public intoxication, flipping a truck end-over-end, DWI's - yes plural - I got two back-to-back in 1997. These a just a FEW of the examples.

BUT - I could deal with this tiny 10%, because for me the other 90% was SO worth it.

However, as the years went by, the 10% started to grow. By the time I finished college, I'd say about 20% of the time things would go DREADFULLY wrong! Again, ALWAYS by my doing. I'd get drunk and make some horribly foolish decisions, and then suffer for it.

By the time the fall of 2001 rolled around the 20% CRAP was making the 80% good times no longer worth it.

October 20, 2001 - just one day after some pretty bad stuff went down that ended a relationship for me - I sat on my front porch with one of my best friends. He said to me, "You know Rusty, this drinking thing is killing you. You really need to do something about it."

I had heard statements like that THOUSANDS of times from friends and family. But of course I never listened. For whatever reason - on this night I listened.

After Chris left, I continued to think about what he said. Then two, very simple thoughts came into my mind. I'm convinced these thoughts came directly from God. I felt like He said, "You're 26 years old and you're still the same punk you were when you were 17 - you haven't changed a bit." And secondly, He said, "You're 26 right now, and you've been drinking for 10 years - look at the wreckage you've caused over the last decade. Now image being 36 and looking back on 10 more years of drinking. Think what your life would look like."

I knew what my life would look like - adultery, divorce, DWI's, prison, or worse - DEATH.

Then God followed with this, "Imagine being 36 and looking back on 10 years of sobriety. Which do you think is the better option?"

These were very simple thoughts - thoughts that had never crossed my mind before. And for some reason they made all the sense in the world.

That night I hit my knees and prayed a very simple prayer.

"God take this from me. I don't want it anymore."

And just like that - the obsession to drink was GONE! Instantly.

Today, I celebrate that 10 years of sobriety God spoke about a decade ago.

It's here. I made it.

Without a doubt God is THE reason I am sober. It's the greatest gift He has ever given me. Because without it, none of the other gifts I've been given would be in my life.

Ten years later I'm married to a wonderful woman. I have much better relationships with friends and family. I co-founded an international ministry that is making a real impact in India, Thailand and Swaziland. (In fact, we've got some great news coming up in a few days - so check back on our website) I've also had many other accomplishments and successes that never would have happened if I was still drinking.

God was right, 10 years of sobriety looks GREAT compared to the alternative I was faced with on that fateful night - exactly 10 years ago today.