A guy walks into a bar...

Sounds like the start of a joke doesn't it? It might be funny at that, but I'll let you reserve that to the end. Anyway, the fellow drinks too much. He's a slob. He used to be happy but he's lost his family, his job, and any remaining self respect. His life is a complete mess, an utter failure. There he is about to order yet another drink when a voice says "You don't need that." Turning around he sees a plain looking fellow next to him, drinking tea. The man says he can help him break the habit if he's willing. Boy is he ever!

He goes off with the man to his house, where he's given something mysterious to drink that will "cure" him. Looking it over, it doesn't smell bad so down the hatch it goes. Then the tea drinking guy, a doctor it turns out, tells him he will soon never drink again. He shows him an aquarium. In the aquarium is this hideous looking snake/worm/creature. It is just laying there, inert. The doc puts a couple drops of alcohol in the water and the monster immediately wakes up and thrashes around,

"You now have one of these in you" the doctor tells him. "Don't bother trying to get rid of it, by this time it's secreted itself into your body and is unreachable. If you never drink booze again, you have nothing to worry about. But if you take even one drink, your little friend will grow. Every time you drink he will get bigger, and as long as there is alcohol in your body he will feed on you from the inside."

The man doesn't believe it so goes back to the bar for another drink. As soon as he swallows the first gulp, he feels a strange stirring like something is moving around inside him. He feels a few nibbles. In horror he realizes the doc was telling the truth and now he must decide. Take the drink to ease his desires and die, or straighten up and never touch the stuff again, and live.

The story ends with the man, now quite respectable with is wife back, happy children, steady job and clean-cut image running into the doctor leading the most despicable person he has ever seen home with him. He tells the wretch "Listen to what the doc tells you, he really knows what he is talking about!" and realizes other than being shorter than the guy this is what he himself looked like just a year ago.

Of course there are many points to be made. The doctor is in the world, but not of the world. He is reaching out to one person at a time, face to face. He is not afraid to talk to those who are lousy and stink in sin - in fact he is in many ways their only hope. The creature is something that looks horrible and is to those who don't understand it - a conscience for good. When we teach others the goodness and hope we can have of salvation - when we preach Christ - we plant it in people. It can eat at them and ruin a "good time" but really it is helping them come face to face with a decision. Do they sin, and die, or live righteously, and live? I suppose we might be angry at the doctor for going around changing peoples lives, but didn't the fellow want it? Didn't he want to be happy? And his sinful ways weren't going to do it for him...

Finally, consider how joyful the man is. He recognizes the change that has come over him, the change for good. He has seen his former self for the wretch that it was, and is now free at last. And the worm? The man has discovered when he feeds it with good food, for instance the knowledge of God, it preserves his life instead of destroying it. Making him stronger from within.

A guy goes into a bar.... and comes out the better for it. It was no laughing matter.

Randy