Even if You're Not an Addict...

Ephesians 4:17-32

This nice little chunk of scripture really identifies with what I've learned and know I need to work toward to stay stong in recovery.  I must change my way of life.  The old things have to go.  I hear it a lot in the rooms and heard it in treatment: People, places and things.  I have to change up my people, places and things in order to make a clean break with my old way of life.  Walk away from unhealthy people, avoid old hangouts or places likely to put my recovery in danger, and get rid of my bad habits that helped keep me in my misery.

"Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything - and I do mean everything - connected with that old way of life has to go."  Eph 4:21-22 (MSG)

I can see Paul standing at the front of a room full of addicts on this one.  He says we have to get rid of the old, bad stuff and take on a new way of life, a new life in God.  And now that we know, we can't just hide the toolbox and say we didn't know how to handle a situation. 

Many of us previously led a life full of lies, whether they were lies to get what we wanted, lies to hide our problems, or lies for any other reason.  Paul's instructions are clear: "No more lies ... tell the truth." Eph 4:25 (MSG)  Paul even tells us it's okay to be angry, but emphasizes that we shouldn't let our anger control us or use it for negative purposes.  And this is the passage from which the saying, "Don't go to bed angry," comes.  The Message uses those exact words.  Other versions of the bible say not to let the sun go down on our anger.  I don't remember exactly when I took strong hold of this advice, but it makes a big difference in how I wake up in the morning if I've gone to bed while still stewing on an issue instead of letting it go or resolving it before the night is over.

And I see him at the head of the room in a treatment center, telling us we don't have to live the way we used to live anymore.  For those who stole, "Well, no more!  Get an honest job..."  Eph 4:28 (MSG)  For those who have resentments, rage, or used violence to solve problems, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."  Eph 4:31 (NIV)  And to all of us, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other [as you have been forgiven]."  Eph 4:32 (NIV)

Great advice - regardless of whether I'm an addict, an alcoholic, a gambler, a cheater, an abuser, or simply a human being.  After all, I don't have to struggle with addiction to be a thief.  I don't have to be an abuser to have rage.  I don't have to be an alcoholic to have resentments.  I don't have to be a drug dealer to use violence.  I don't have to have any special, labeled problems or disorders at all to see that things in my life need to change, that I need to shed my skin and grow into a new life.

Being human, I am fallible and prone to make mistakes.  I will, inevitably, try to take control of my life back here and there, and I will make wrong decisions.  Good thing for me that God has mercy on me, forgives me, and continues to cover me in his Grace.

Amen!  :D

Why Won't God Just Do It?

John 2:1-11

At the most recent Celebrate Recovery meeting I attended, this week was an extra week - meaning that it was not scheduled for either a testimony or step study.  The leader* took the opportunity to talk about what he called the "Divine-Human Cooperative."  He explained that what this meant is that we work in partnership with God, God does not work for us. 

With reference to addiction, since this is a recovery program, we cannot simply pray for God to remove our addiction (or our co-dependency, or our eating issues, etc.) and expect the he will take it away so easily.  True, we can rely on God for strength, but he will not do it all for us.  We must do the work in addition to the prayer.

There is the saying, "Pray like everything depends on God, work like everything depends on you."  I believe this is the simplest way of defining the Divine-Human Cooperative.

The leader went on to ask, "What's the first miracle?"  After a moment of silence with no response from the group, he said, "Most of us in here are drunks.  We should know this!"  He referred to the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine: John 2:1-11.  He illustrated his point by indicating in the scripture where Jesus had the servants fill the water pots and told them to fill the pitcher and take it to the host (John 2:7,8).  The only thing Jesus did was turn the water into wine because we as humans could do the rest.  Why should Jesus be expected to do ALL the work?  The others were perfectly capable of filling some jugs with water and carrying a pitcher to the host. 

We must be willing to believe that God can and will perform miracles, and to trust that he will provide, but we cannot rest on our laurels waiting for something to happen.  After all, no one will open the door if we haven't knocked.

Amen!  :D


*Due to anonymity being a foundation of the program, I obtained the leader's permission to use his words without his name in this blog