Defining Wisdom

After discovering the last blog entry, Grief, reached the most readers, I came to the conclusion there are many hurting people out there. Really, that's no surprise. People are looking for answers to difficult questions. Questions usually beginning with, Why? We all want the truth, don't we? We want to run to where ever wisdom can be found and told the truth.

     If you have read My Story then you already know I am a person of faith. That is the basis of my life and direction. When deciding upon a name for this blog I chose Wisdom's Response not out of the desire to share the great truths and wisdom that I have gained but to share the wisdom and truths that have been made available to all of us if we would just ask.

     The wisdom and truth I learned through the process of breaking free from the grip of benzodiazepine is that I am NOT alone. Actually, better said is, I never allowed myself to believe I was alone.Believing we are alone is buying into a lie. And ulitmate defeat.When fear and self pity lead me in that direction I had to stop and ask myself, Who am I, of all people, to think I am the only one to suffer the effects of a drug gone bad?

     Now, let's take that same lie and apply it to any other problem that may occur in life. I am alone in                    .  Fill in the blank. Is that really true? I say it is never true. As with Benny, in Benny, that is the lie that comes out of  darkness. Once you have gotten past that lie you will be on the road to recovery and victory - over ANYTHING. However, it does not mean it will always be easy. Some battles do get bloody.

     If, like me, you have ever heard that lie you know it is not a shout but a whisper. It's insidious and it is designed to filter into the very depths of the soul - a designer lie!  The lie designed to defeat and destroy. Just like the designer drugs created to target specific diseases. That lie is not of our making. It comes straight out of the mouth of Benny (my new name for everything evil in the world). It is the pure essence of a lie. Do not fall prey to the lie. We are never alone. Knowing the truth makes spotting the lie that much easier. It will stick out like a single black sheep in a field of white lambs.

     So, next time you feel alone or are looking for answers, for truth, for wisdom, I encourage you to consider going to the source. There is a book in the Bible called James and there in the beginning of this book it says, If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. I have tested that truth over and over and found it to be true. God loves to keep His promises. AND, He will never deny an honest heart an honest answer.

Wisdom says we are never alone. The Source of wisdom is waiting for us to ask.

Grief

     This article was already in development when the news of Whitney Houston's death made headline news. I am posting this article a day early because I can't express the depth of my sadness when hearing, as reported on NBC's Today Show this morning, that Miss Houston had been taking benzodiazepines. This drug can lead to tolerance, dependency and horrible withdrawal effects and yet they are considered a "pretty normal prescription", a quote attributed to LA's assistant chief coroner, Ed Winter, involved with investigating Miss Houston's death. And THAT is what frightens me.
     I had promised myself that I would not use this blog as a soap-box yet with recent developments involving this very drug class I just can't help myself. It is an insidious drug that is doled out as a candy prescription without thought regarding its capability to destroy lives.
     I am not a crusader. Really, I'm not. However, prior to Miss Houston's death I had been pondering another recent revelation, via msnbc's prime time news cast of January 25, 2012, regarding the attempt of "scientists" to have grief labeled as a mental illness, and it has my hackles up. I feel confident in assuming those "scientists" are on the payroll of the largest drug companies out there. What better way to reach a larger potential population with a drug that can create a self sustaining income. What is the front-line drug for something everyone experiences, grief and anxiety - benzodiazepines!
     And this is frightening - no terrifying - because a drug class such as this is nothing to be trifled with. Drugs like this are designed and targeted for very specific centers in the brain - which can lead to addiction and dependency. Those who are intolerant of such drugs, when exposed, fall victim to a most hellacious experience. A mere percentage point on the scale of medical progress. All well and good, unless you are one of them.
     My experience with the drug class benzodiazepine is not uncommon (read My Story and it's allegory Benny). It is reported that 5% of those exposed to this drug class will have adverse reactions. Some severe. I believe that is most likely not an accurate % due to the fact that once the reaction occurs the victim may be misdiagnosed as having a mental disorder. And once that step has been taken the medical community ceases to look for the real answer and treats the victim accordingly...with antidepressants and, likely as not, more benzodiazepines. I speak from experience. Although I insisted surgery was the benchmark of my experience, and asked repeatedly what I had been given during surgery that could cause a reaction such as mine, I was never taken seriously. NO ONE checked! But I did - once I got off the drug and got well - nearly 1 1/2 years later, I requested and received my anesthesia records from that surgery. I had been given midazolam (benzodiazepine), a common practice during surgery.
     I am not saying this/these drugs have no place in treatment. I am saying I believe there are many more out there than the purported 5% who are intolerant. And what terrifies me about grief being labeled as a mental illness is MANY more will fall victim to the vicious effects of this drug unnecessarily. Classifying grief as a mental disorder would be a very slippery slope.
Wisdom says ordinary grief is NOT a mental disorder but a natural response to loss. I dare say none have escaped it. Most get through it without drugs. I pray for intervention that would prevent such a categorization. It would be dancing with the devil - a dance no one wants.  And grief of another sort.
     My heart grieves for the family of Whitney Houston, and Miss Houston herself, if proven she had been battling the benzodiazepine demon alone. It is a victory that can be won.
     We must be wary and informed. Not all prescriptions considered "normal" are harmless.

Wisdom's Insulation

     Sometimes it would be nice to jump right in and not get wet! And I mean that for more situations than what's depicted in this photo. A little insulation there would help, don't you think?

     Many times in life I've felt the need to be insulated from what's to come. Or, after having taken the leap, wished I had planned ahead with some insulation.
    I don't always think or plan ahead - do you? We can find ourselves in uncomfortable situations wondering, Now what?! Sometimes those situations aren't of our own making, yet we have to live with them. That was my experience once. What then? Just as the diver in the photo, we can be as completely unprotected as she is from the cold of the experience she is about to encounter. Yet if she were insulated in some way she would then be unaffected. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could insulate ourselves from the hardships of life?

     In my experience I found there is an insulation from the hard places in life - a spiritual bodysuit, so to speak - that enabled me to pass through that time in my life unaffected. As a Christian, I put to the test some Biblical wisdom that encourages us to consider those hard times in life as an opportunity for joy (James 1:2-3). Now, there is a conundrum, right? Find joy in hard times? But it's true. We may not be in control of the situation but we can be in control of our attitude. The joy comes in determining I will not allow the situation to dictate or control my attitude toward life.

     I like to think of it as being a spiritual athlete. Athletes who participate in sports build their endurance by putting their strength to the test, over and over again, until they are ready to compete. I view enduring life's hardships no differently. Now, I don't go out looking for ways to strengthen my faith by hunting down hardships and diving into their frigid waters just to put my faith to the test - hardships will find me no doubt - however, I will not allow the tests to rob me of my joy. Therein lies my victory. And with the victory, a stronger faith when the next test comes - and it will. We can't escape them. They are part of life.

     Within the story Benny are messages of victory, endurance and triumphant joy. The battle was real and underneath the outward experience of the physical trial were the efforts in the spiritual realm attempting to rob me of my joy. I determined not to yield - and I won!

     If you know someone who is being tested today, share Benny with them. My prayer is hope can be found...and joy in their own victory.

The Paradox

I had the blessing of spending time with a dear friend (a nurse) last night - the one who put my experience into light by telling me what had happened to me was called a paradoxical effect. It caused me to reflect on what an odd thing a paradox is. A paradox is something that is - but isn't, should - but doesn't, heals - yet kills.

I Googled paradoxical effect and was stunned to find benzodiazepine at the top of the list of paradoxical effect drugs. Something I had not found in my previous research. Again, it was time to stop and take a deep breath because, thank the Lord, I am past all that, yet the reality of how many others who may be suffering this effect could be out there grieves my heart. I may have fallen into that slim 5%, but having been there wouldn't want anyone else to be there either.

It has reinforced my resolve to be alert in my life knowing, as the Bible tells us, there is one who prowls around like a lion seeking those he can devour (1 Peter 5:8). This one who seeks to devour us often uses the stealth of the paradox.

Read Benny - it is a picture of how stealth works.

Feeling Big?

When I get to thinking I'm "All That" looking at this photo of earth brings me down to size in a hurry.

Yet I know God sees me and knows me by name. Amazing! He knows every day He has planned for my life, every circumstance, and every thought and word before I think or speak them. That is comforting and convicting all at the same time.

I also know no matter what comes into my life He is in charge of it all.

Read Benny to be encouraged in the victory.