IT AIN'T MAGIC

 

Nehemiah 2:18
Then I told them of my God which was upon me for good, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, "Let us rise up and build!" So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

Story of Nehemiah...
God directed him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls that surrounded the town. Big task. hard work. But God said do it. Funny part in this call to work is that God empowered Nehemiah and all that were with him to accomplish this task. Nehemiah did not have an army of construction workers at his disposal to tackle this job. He had everyday people who may have done some construction, but the task was a call from God to finish no matter who said yes to it. Young, old, probably even the elderly. Maybe even those with disability. All called to work a project given to Nehemiah to finish. Why do it? Because God said to.

One thing we see over and over in recovery, is that some people don't want to do the work. They want the life....or at least they say they do, but they will not work the steps. They will not go to a meeting. They will not change anything. They just want their external circumstances to change. They want the pain to stop, in spite of their continuing to make bad choices. They want to get off the legal merry-go-round, but they won't quit making bad choices. In their minds, recovery=no more bad circumstances. They want this without any effort on their part. Sorry Charlie....it doesn't work that way.

Just like Nehemiah, the call to recovery is a call to rebuild the walls of your life.
To remove the rubble of years of bad decisions so that a new way of living can be constructed. Work? You bet. Are you alone in this task? No way. The God who flows through those Twelve Steps will empower you to see it through all the way. But you have to do the work. What's that old saying from the Big book? "God does for me what I cannot do for myself?" I think that's the way it goes.  After all, aren't we in search of a HIGHER POWER who could restore us to sanity? I think maybe yes we are. What is sanity? The ability to make sound decisions about my life. Well, once I make a sound decision, what next? Duh! Carry it out in your daily life. Act on the sound decision. Move in the direction it is leading you. In other words.....ACT! 

We do not have the luxury of sitting around waiting for recovery to bop us on the head like an apple falling off the tree. It doesn't work that way. But I see plenty of people with that mindset. To them recovery is being in treatment, away from all outside influence that may cause them to use. They do not do anything to address the real issue of their addiction, which is a heart problem. A broken relationship with God. I know there are physical ramifications to addiction. I know that there are mental aspects to addiction. But I also know that every addiction begins with a choice made to take that first drink...that first hit...that first needle and that first puff. But everyone one of those is a choice. Such begins with a dark heart listening to the old sin/nature. That dark voice that whispers inside "I want what I want, and I want it now!". Such a voice comes from the heart that is separated from God.

Recovery is work....
No one can do it but you....
But you don't have to do it in your own effort or ability....
You don't have to do it alone....
God is there...

God on you...
mbb