Persian King Xerxes tried to build a bridge across the Dardanelles to get to Greece faster, but a storm destroyed the bridge. Infuriated with the sea, Xerxes ordered his soldiers to punish it by whipping it with chains 300 times and poking the water with red-hot irons. Handcuffs were also tossed into the water to symbolize the sea’s submission to his authority.
If you want to argue that King Xerxes overreacted to the sea, I won’t disagree with you. But you have to commend the king for taking seriously the destructive results of the storm.
Your addiction has caused quite a storm. Everyone close to you has felt the wind and rain. Perhaps your family has drowned in the flood of lies and deceit. It is time for you to take your behavior seriously.
God has some pretty harsh words for those who don’t respond to their sin appropriately. “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26).
Recovery Step: Take your sin seriously.
