There’s an age-old problem once again showing itself. It’s drunkenness. No, not due to alcohol, but instead drunkenness due to an abuse of power. Whether you are a boss, supervisor, teacher, coach, doctor, pastor, elder, PTA president, or parent, you have power.

Power and drugs can both help us and hurt us. The overwhelming majority of drugs today are used to prevent, manage or cure disease. Drugs meant to be of help with post surgery pain, help us manage pain but can be addictive and contribute to overdose deaths.

Pull Quote

Healthy relationships all have one thing in common. Power is shared. Whether it’s marriages, or the running of the government of these United States, or how we relate to our dentist, hoped-for outcomes are more prevalent where power is shared amongst those involved.

Power is drug-like. It enables, equips and helps us accomplish tasks. It’s time sensitive. Its effects can be instantaneous or delayed release. Like the use of meds, power can leave you feeling hopeful and engaged or feeling depressed, out of self control, and damaged.

We either respectfully use power or it will use us. So, the question then is — what’s the difference between a healthy use of power and an abusive use of power?

Abuse of power, can so to speak, cause a person, or a nation to be drunk on power. A person drunk on power, is so self centered, he or she deludes to be God-like. Only God is all knowing: all powerful, and everywhere present at the same time. Yet we humans can delude ourselves to think we are God, and so speak down to people. People drunk on power, attempt to portray the image of being the authority about everything, and use images that emphasize human strength, and toughness. Yet there is another way, a healthy way to view power and people.

Healthy relationships all have one thing in common. Power is shared. Whether it’s marriages, or the running of the government of these United States, or how we relate to our dentist, hoped-for outcomes are more prevalent where power is shared amongst those involved.

Power up… share-fully. Healthy use of power involves: people having shared information, people sharing decision making, sharing in the actual follow through of decisions, and shared evaluation. At the end of shared evaluation, the healthy use of power hopefully begins this cycle all over again.

Jesus Christ clearly understood the right uses of power. Throughout his life, and even death, and then resurrection he exemplified one who used power to point people to God, the Father. One short teaching about power is painfully clear: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11)”. Jesus’ first followers showed humble Godly power at Pentecost. Acts 2:12-13 reports about how some in the crowd reacted to Pentecost: “They were all astonished and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But some sneered and said: “they’re drunk on wine.”

So, what are we to do? Know the famous quote which goes: “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Know the difference between the healthy use of power and those drunk on power.