Cast the Stone at Yourself

So Josh Hamilton was caught drinking more than one beer in a Dallas bar this week. That's nothing to make light of. Dealing with addictions is serious business and it's nothing to make light of when a recovering addict trips. There are no excuses for it. No, I cannot even begin to identify what it's like to be Josh Hamilton. He has the pressure of every move he makes being documented and reported. Over the past year, he's dealt with two tough physical injuries and the horror of witnessing the accidental death of a fan/husband/father. I cannot even begin to understand what he deals with on that and hope I never have to. On top of that, he has all eyes watching him because he credits his faith for delivering him from his addictions. No doubt, in this skeptical world, there are those just waiting for him to fail. Don't tell me there isn't any pressure there.
And so yes, even those things are not an excuse for tripping back into the things that have plagued your life for a long time. Even though Josh has yet to make a public statement about it, I'm sure he isn't offering any excuses either. It was very disturbing when I read a column in the Fort W0rth Star Telegram this morning questioning Josh Hamilton's trustworthiness. This particular columnist makes it sound as if this world is comprised of addicts (the bad guys) and the non-addicts (the trustworthy guys). He also makes it sound as if Hamilton has been fooling us all this time.
I've got news for this columnist and anybody else who has decided to put themselves on a pedestal on this issue; all of us have our demons. Galatians 5 talks about the battles of the flesh versus the life guided by the Spirit. And each of us have at least something (a substance, a behavior, a person, or some object) that stands between us and God. Repeatedly going back to that is either abuse or addiction if we're going by the textbook definition. Only God can deliver us from it and even after we give it to him, we still struggle with it. And there are moments that we slip back into it. Just like Hamilton, there is no excuse for slipping back into it, but we are all guilty of it.
I have more news for this columnist; some of my best friends and most trusted people are addicts. They are recovering addicts, but still addicts. The reason they are the most trusted people in my life is because someone who has been addicted and recovered has to be honest. That person has to be real about who he or she is and what he or she struggles with. And yes, these close friends who are recovering addicts have had their momentary slip-ups. But they are open about it.
I prefer that over someone who thinks he or she has it all together. When a person has a slip-up like that, this should be the moment when he or she feels support and accountability. This does not mean condoning or overlooking what has happened. Again, that needs to be taken seriously. But it doesn't warrant writing that person off or saying that trust is now broken and it certainly doesn't warrant elevating yourself on a pedestal over that person.
Josh Hamilton has come a long way over the past decade in battling his demons. He has given back by making amends to those he has hurt. He has given his all on the baseball field. He has given back to the fans in numerous ways.
Now is the time for the fan base to show support for Josh as he deals with this latest episode...