From behind the bar and back

It's been an item of conversation somewhat regularly it seems. And, if you missed out on all those I was once a "bar-maid." At a time in my life when Jesus was about the furthest thing from my mind it was but one of my occupations of choice while finishing my B.S. *I do not advise this course of action, the bar-maid part, feel free to pursue higher education, it comes highly recommended*

It's funny how things run together sometimes. I'm teaching a serious to the Jr. High ladies for the last two and the next two weeks: "Leaders Serve." Tonight we discussed the power behind our service: The Holy Spirit. I have a book from RBP (regular Baptist Press) that I use to help me build lessons. It brought me to some texts I thought peculiar for the topic, namely the verse I've come to know as one of the "no drinking" texts.

Ephesians 5:18

"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

Now, I'm not here to open the "should we drink or not" can of worms and I'd ask we don't. This post is not a public forum for airing your thoughts about it. The point is this: I've always read the first sentence which leads me to the stance that many take: we should abstain from alcohol. I think that notion has overshadowed my coupling the first sentence with the second.

I wonder if I've been missing the big picture from this text forever, it sure seems like I have. The former bar-maid has seen her share of folks under the influence of alcohol. It's often not difficult to spot them. They walk different, talk different, act different etc, because they have alcohol in large quantities residing in their bodies. Their poor liver can't possibly metabolize it at the speed they're consuming and the alcohol starts influencing their ability to function.

So this verse says don't be under the influence of alcohol in that way, but instead be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Yes?

Are my actions as such that someone could pick me out as under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the way I once picked out those under the influence of alcohol?

Can I pick out Christians the way I can pick out those that have had too much to drink? Maybe I've got this all screwed up, maybe I've totally missed the target. I'm not a Bible scholar, we all know that, but it's given me enough pause to think it over.

I learn so much more studying for those lessons than those poor girls that have to listen to be stumble through presenting it. I'm quite certain.

I hope maybe some days someone might see something and think she's clearly under some sort of positive influence, but I'm thinking it may not be as often as I'd like. It continues to amaze me how the Word of God works. How many times I've read that verse and never had a thought in this direction. The Word is alive. I'm thankful to have come to understand what that really means since coming out from behind the bar.