Let me start this off by saying that what I have to say on this matter is my own opinion and it is probably considered by some to be controversial. Therefore, take this as a warning that you may not like what I have to say, and that I respect that.
I was watching a Charlie Brown Valentine's day special when it was interrupted by ABC News to tell us that Whitney Houston had been found dead in her hotel room in Beverly Hills. My mom and I looked at each other in disbelief. We had both been great fans of Whitney's work, and knew that we had just lived into a moment that changed the world. There would be no more new work from an artist who was truly and genuinely gifted by God with the voice of an angel. But, after taking a moment to reflect, we moved on with our evening.
The next morning, though, I was jarred by a FB status from someone I have known for over a decade. The individual stated very matter of factly that in his/her opinion, Whitney's death was not a tragedy because she had chosen the lifestyle that led to her death. Later that week I was further jarred by a chain post that some friends had shared that stated something similar about Whitney choosing to live a life of drug and alcohol abuse.
Let me be clear...I respect these opinions. However, I am in 100% absolute disagreement with my friends.
Every death is tragic.
No one chooses to be an addict.
No one wakes up one morning and says "you know, I think I'll become an addict today"...and no addict wakes up one morning and says "you know, I can stop being an addict now" and is magically not an addict.
Addiction is a psychological disorder, considered by many medical experts to be a disease.
Addition may be the result of the overindulgence in something, be it alcohol, drugs, exercise, sugar, food (or lack there of), sex, the list goes on and on. But it doesn't have to be...some people are genetically predisposed to addiction.
(Aside: have you ever noticed that we don't demonize food addicts or exercise addicts? We don't go after anorexic or bulimic individuals...and yet alcoholics, drug addicts and sex addicts are fair game for us to cast out and put down)
From the testimonials of her friends and family, Whitney Houston was a woman who loved God. She was also a woman who struggled very publicly with her addiction and she tried to overcome her addiction, going to rehab multiple times. But the demons of addiction had too firm a grasp on Whitney Houston and she lost her battle. Now a child will live the rest of her life with out her mother to guide her.
Also, we don't know yet what caused Whitney's death...we won't know for some time yet, I'm afraid. But if it was drugs, she wouldn't be the first. Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Amy Winehouse, Brad Renfroe, W.C. Fields, John Belushi, River Phoenix, Judy Garland, Chris Farley, Dorothy Dandridge, and Montgomery Clift are just a few celebrities who have died of drug or alcohol overdoses.
A beautiful voice is gone too soon, a child is now motherless. But maybe, some glimmer of hope can come out of the death of Whitney Houston. Maybe because of Whitney's death, there will be a greater effort to understand addiction and the power that it has the potential to wield over people who fall victim too it. Maybe there will be more compassion for people who are currently battling this affliction. Maybe by talking about addiction and ridding the disease of its stigma, people will seek help sooner and future deaths will be prevented.
But here is the final thing that I have to say on this topic. God's love is bigger than addiction...in fact, God came down in Jesus Christ for the addict, that they too might know peace and healing. Whitney Houston now rests in the arms of our Lord, free of her addiction, full of the New Life promised to her in her baptism.
Eternal rest grant her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine on her.
*steps off of soap box*
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