MANY young people face challenging situations in life, resulting in the loss of hope.
However, drugs have become a form of escape, turning to substance abuse for an elevator ride away from life’s challenges.
The scientific world calls it drug and substance abuse, a terminology brought to the surface without a deeper analysis of the pain associated with those under the influence.
The world today can be likened to the story of the Good Samaritan in which the Priest and the Levite ignored the wounded man who was beaten up by thieves on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho.
The youths of today are on this journey called life, but have been attacked by various thieves that include social media pressure, societal expectations, globalisation trends and Western music that have effectively promoted drug and substance abuse as a means to tackle life’s problems.
In a world where the youths are rejected yet wounded by this pandemic called drug and substance abuse, who then can stop to help the young man or woman injured by the aroma of marijuana or the numbing effect of crystal meth known as maleaves or dombo, respectively, as they are called in the contemporary street lingo of the current generation?
Just like the story of the Good Samaritan, the people of today will also pass by and ignore this injured group in society, as was attributed in this biblical story.
The older generation is clothed with the assumption that they are too loose or that there are too many born-frees having excessive liberty on their hands.
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Yet social media outlets and entertainment zones have become the dispensary of the outbreak of this underlying pandemic called drug and substance abuse.
The former finds no remorse in the latter. The Church is the only beacon of hope for those lost in this silent war.
Some Christians in their homes face this heartbreaking situation where a loved one is suffering from drug and substance abuse and has no one to assist them.
With economic upheavals and a scarcity of rehabilitation centres, the horror of drug and substance abuse is an everyday nightmare that one cannot wake up from.
Hence, the Church can have home visits to those in such circumstances to proffer support to the families and preach the gospel of salvation that speaks of Jesus Christ as the solution to this problem, the only seed that brings light to such darkness.
As some are in constant fear that they may find the victims dead, the teaching about Jesus Christ comes with the activation of hope and life to a situation that appears to be unto death, yet it is not unto death because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.
The Church should open its arms to receive those affected by drug and substance abuse.
In the Bible, the prodigal son returned home to prepared to face condemnation as a means of acceptance of the wrongs he had done, but was received with love from his father and new robes.
The Church should cover the nakedness unveiled by drug and substance abuse by having one-on-one counselling sessions with the people suffering from drug and substance abuse, which will also include round-table discussions hosted by champions who have won this battle.
Their testimonies will help to show those suffering that they can overcome this challenge.
The Good Samaritan took care of the wounded man through his own means, showing love as the body of Christ should do, for God showed us love when he gave us his only son to die for our sins.
The Church also needs to pay special attention to the guardians, parents or next of kin living with those who are abusing drugs and substances.
Why focus on them, one may ask, because they are the ones affected with health problems in trying to cope with the situation at hand.
Hence, in trying to de-escalate the impact of the awful circumstance, one may fail to emotionally and cognitively handle the gremlin, therefore, leading to health issues such as mental health problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems, among others.
Having one counselling session brings great encouragement and emotional healing, as well as emotional support to those surrounding our friends who are victims of this war called drug and substance abuse.
The Church, as well, can have unfiltered conversations in major church events and conferences, making sure that these discussions are not browsed through when talking about the issue of drug and substance abuse. In many cases, this topic is handled swiftly without fully having an in-depth engagement with the families affected to give an account of their experiences. To have a listening ear to the victims from a point of empathy, an atmosphere that is free from a judgemental environment, rather than an attentive and compassionate environment. As a famous boxer once said: You understand what you have read and not what you have experienced.
I believe these interactions give a more practical understanding coming from the families affected and the victims of this tragic ordeal. This is a departure from the bookish interpretations that only segregate the people who are suffering from the problem, portraying them as a waste in society and their families as the recipients of misery, which neglects the need for support and sympathy.
The Church has a role to play in mediation, offering the middle ground for those affected by drug and substance abuse.
Some may need mediation, as others will constantly be fighting because of this issue; hence, the mediator’s role helps in bringing peace in homes and rebuilding bridges that would have been burnt by this menace called drug and substance abuse. Preaching forgiveness, having a long-suffering heart translated as patience in other texts and love as what is expressed in the book of Galatians, as the fruits of the Spirit are needed as the antidote for this virus called drug and substance abuse to have peaceful homes.
In a nutshell, the Church needs to play an active role in the fight against drug and substance abuse from a point of love, as was shown in the story of the Good Samaritan, since the Church is the body of Christ, Christ talked about loving thy neighbour as thyself.
One may condemn the notion as the problem may seem foreign or distant because there is no loved one involved in drugs and substances whom you are close to, but the question is, what would you do if this storm comes to your doorstep?
