Sometimes it is hard to reconcile a life of addiction to this promised new life that we read about in Scripture. It's hard to bring the Jesus of the page into a reality of a life lived daily. We look within for the answers and we find none. Why? Because we are looking to ourselves as the means of escape from the darkness we have lived in for so long. We look for positive answers and all we see are the mistakes of our past. The people we have hurt, the destruction we have caused, the pain we carry with us each and every day.
We look to the Twelve Steps for answers. They seem so complicated and beyond our reach and our understanding. Here again, we fall prey to the trap that we have to provide the power, the will and the effort to break free from our addiction. When the steps themselves call for a complete inventory of our moral make up. Our character. Our world view of how to live life. If we are honest with ourselves, we come to the realization that we are helpless...more than that, we are powerless. O.k....now that we realize that we are the problem, what's next?
Our search for answers to our problem should take us to the simple truth that there IS a power greater than me who could restore me to sanity. Here is where it gets a little foggy. When we consider God as the answer to saving us, we tend to couch and clothe our views with religion. We see a God of a denomination. We see a Savior who is all about religion. Truth is, this Power we seek to be delivered has a name, and that name is Jesus. He stands above all denominations. He is seated about everything religious. His heart is for relationship. To restore us (or recover us) and re-create us into the people we were originally intended to be. We embraced sin and allowed it to warp and wreck us, taking us far from the life Jesus wanted us to have.
So what is up with these "Steps"? There isn't any power in the steps themselves. No magic phrases that can turn your live around, but they do contain a divine purpose. To bring order to our life. A life lived in chaos can be changed and set right. When we give ourselves to Christ (will and life) and we begin to work the disciplines of the Steps, we are allowing the power of Christ to direct us and guide us daily. We no longer are calling the shots, so to speak, but are looking unto Jesus for the answers to the question and problems we face daily.
So I guess the question I would have to ask to day is this: "Are you driving the Steps in an effort to move into a new life? Or are you allowing Jesus to empower you, as He directs your movement, your thoughts, and your choices? I think maybe the latter is what we all should be striving for.
God on you.....
Michael B.
No comments:
Post a Comment