An addict is driving along all alone in his car one night on an empty highway. He is depressed beyond words, thinking how miserable he is and how he would do anything to get sober and have a normal life. Suddenly, as he's zooming down the highway and thinking, he hears the voice of G-d.
"I hear you're looking for sobriety," says G-d.
"Yes," he says, in awe.
"Well, you're in luck today," says G-d, "Because I happen to have sobriety, and it can be yours for a reasonable price."
"How much?"
"How much have you got?"
"I've got twenty dollars in my pocket."
"You're in luck," says G-d. "The price of sobriety today happens to be exactly twenty dollars."
"But that's everything I've got," the man protests, "If I give you all of my money, how will I buy gas for the car?"
"A car?" says G-d, "Oh, I see. The price of sobriety is twenty bucks and your car."
"But if I give you my car, how will I get to work tomorrow?"
"Work?" says G-d, "You have a job? The price of sobriety is twenty bucks, your car, and your job."
"But is I give you my job, then I won't get paid. I need to pay the mortgage this week."
"A mortgage? You mean you have a house? I hate to tell you this, but the price of sobriety just went up. It's twenty bucks, your car, your job, and your house."
"But where will my family live?"
"Family? You've got a wife and kids? The price of sobriety is twenty bucks, your car, your job, your house, and your wife and kids."
At this point the man decides to shut up.
If we're just willing to give away a little bit of ourselves TODAY, G-d is offering us all sobriety TODAY. But if we keep questioning how we can give away that little bit of ourselves because we're concerned about TOMORROW, the price just keeps rising and rising until we loose EVERYTHING.
The price of sobriety is twenty bucks, your car, your job, your house, and your wife and kids."
"Are you willing to take it?" asks G-d.
The man nods.
G-d takes everything, and He is about to give the man his sobriety.
"But one thing," says G-d, "Before I give you your sobriety, there's something else I want you to do for me."
The man nods again.
"See this twenty dollars?" says G-d, "It's not your twenty dollars. It's my twenty dollars. You know that. But I want you to take it from Me, and I want you to be My emissary to spend it as I would. And you see this car? It's not your car. It's My car. But I want you to use it as I would. And this family - this wife and kids. They're not your family. They're My family. But I want you to take care of them the way that I would. Can you do all of that?"
The man nods again.
"Then here it all is. And here is your sobriety."
The secret to sobriety is when we realize that everything we have is G-d's, not ours. When we are willing to give it all away, we get it all back.
When we live our lives with this mentality, G-d gives us sobriety as gift so we can continue doing His work.