3 Days of Vino Vacay to Enjoy a Sober Minded WeekendНамуна

Play the Movie Forward

One of the most effective tools in my “sober minded toolbox” is playing the movie forward. Simply put, it’s the God given ability for us to look at a choice ahead of time and anticipate the probable outcome based on previous experience. This requires honesty with ourselves and being totally realistic knowing the reality of a familiar scenario. Let’s use the example of wanting to drink less or not at all with the intent of staying more present in your own life. You might start the day with clear, good intentions but by 5 o’clock (aka “wine o’clock”) it’s easy to fall back into old patterns. The good news is God gave us an imagination…that means as humans we can envision the future in our mind’s eye! Playing the movie forward looks like this: opening a bottle of wine to have one glass? Yeah right, that may be the intent but that’s not usually the reality. If I’m honest, which is key to finding freedom, then I have to say that was rarely the case. Alcohol literally creates a thirst for itself and kicks off a craving loop that takes me in a direction I don’t really want to go. Mindlessly sipping vino while I’m cooking isn’t exactly how I want to show up for myself or my family.

Oftentimes in our walk with Christ, we wrestle with two competing desires, and just like Paul says in Romans, “Why do I do the very thing that I do not want to do?” I can really relate, what about you? When we partner with the Lord to surrender our “rights” and allow Him to change our hearts, it’s possible to change our desires and live more wholeheartedly. You can allow the Holy Spirit to renew and transform your mind so that what you desire truly changes.

Next steps…if you would like to connect with other like-minded ladies on this sober minded journey then visit https://bit.ly/SoberSisHome for more resources!