"SOBRIETY HURTS"

It seems lately I have been pondering many a philosophical idea. Over the past month I have been attending a bible study at the Coffee Haus in Arlington.
The topic tonight was on the body of Christ. We read from one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Romans 12. The talk was about how we as a body of Christ should be united, how we should be humble and not "high and mighty." While I have read this passage many times before, I can honestly say I focus mostly on verses 1 & 2. Tonight however what stood out to me was

VERSE 3:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Here is why.

Over the past few weeks things have been very hectic at work. I had to take matters in my own hands and make a change. Thankfully, the change was for the better. I have gone from working with adolescents to working with adults and chemical dependency.

About 2 weeks ago, I had a patient a few years younger than me. He was detoxing from hydro codeine and benzos. During one of my group therapy sessions, he told the group how he was sitting with his mom during visitation and he began crying. He said "Sobriety hurts" He couldn't remember the last time he felt any type of emotion with his mom, and mostly what he was feeling was guilt and shame. He was beginning to realize all the pain he had put his mother through with his drug use.

When I read the words sober judgment, I immediately remembered the words of my patient "sobriety hurts."
The basic definition of sober is to be of sound mind or sane thought. The reason most people use drugs is to numb, cloud, or forget emotions of pain, sadness, stress, anger, etc. When someone is under the influence, they possess a different view of the world. Has anyone heard of "beer goggles?" So to be sober and see things for the way they are, ourselves the way we truly are? That in it of itself is sobering.

I am not perfect, there I said it, now its your turn. We are bruised and broken, sinners, judgmental, and imperfect beings. Yet for the grace of God we are called to be sons and daughters, members of one body. How come we don't act that way? How come we put people on a pedestal and when they show their faults we are quick to string up a noose? It is my hope that I can be transparent with my brothers and sisters, able to be vulnerable, ministered to, and, that I can be able to minster to them as well.

So my question to you... When you look at yourself, where do you put yourself? Too high? Too low?