Impressions

Upon walking into the Las Vegas airport I was met by gambling machines.  They definitely attracted people who would otherwise be bored, but I thought about how sad it was for people to simply be throwing their money away in the machines.  Although I was slightly curious about what the games were, the sounds were irritating and started to give me a headache.  Overall my impression was a sick feeling in my stomach over the hold that gambling can have on people.  There may be many people playing who are not addicted, but the power of addiction is enormous.  I am glad that my gate has none of the machines.  The sick and sad feelings I had upon encountering so much gambling prompted me to pray for the people who are trapped in the addiction, and also for us as a culture that constantly pursues more, even while there are so many people in far greater need than we are.  Constantly pursuing more is not the answer, God is.  I know that there are many other addictions and sins that ensnare us; but seeing the gambling opened my eyes again to the sin in our world and in my own life, and our desperate need for God's healing and the restoration of shalom.