January.....Step # 1

January always comes in with the best of intentions from people.
Fitness Centers all over the country see an increase in membership when January rolls around because people are making resolutions to get in shape for the coming year.
February sees the biggest decline in the number of people actually going to a fitness center/gym as the "newness" wears off of their good intentions.

January always brings me back around to Step # 1 of the Twelve Steps.
We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies----that our life had become unmanageable.
No one really likes to admit this, much less come face to face with the evidence of a life unmanageable.
January gives us an opportunity to look at someone in Scripture who seemed to have every thing going on except for one area of his life. A man named Naaman.
On the surface, Naaman was a man's man. He had the career. He had the reputation. He had the image. But something in Naaman's life came out that brought him to his knees.

Naaman was the Commander of the army for the King of Aram.
God had given Naaman great victories over the enemies of Aram. Most considered Naaman a mighty warrior......but...(there's that word..."but" that seems to undo all the good) he suffered from Leprosy.

From the Life Recovery Bible. we read --- It can be very humiliating to admit that we are powerless, especially if we are used to being in control. We may be powerful in some areas of our life, but out of control in terms of our addictive/ compulsive behaviors. If we refuse to admit our powerlessness, we may lose everything. That one unmanageable part of our life may infect and destroy everything else. Our "diseases" are as life threatening as the leprosy of Naaman's day. They slowly separate us from our family and lead toward the destruction of everything important to us. There is no instant cure or easy cure. We recognize God as the only source of deliverance and healing from our addiction, so we give ourselves over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Naaman had specific ideas of how he should be cured from his leprosy. When things didn't turn out like he thought they should, he became angry. It didn't cure his leprosy any faster or with a better way, only delayed the process. That is why, as addicts, we have searched for the easier softer way for our recovery rather than submit to God.

I pray that this year will be your year to break free of the bondage of addiction.
God on you.....
mb