Off And Running

"it's early in the morning, and I ain't got paid, so I fell to my knees and began to pray". Too much time on my hands? Just doin' what I do, everything's a song. Will the Lord give me a good tune today? He will if I'm listening.

What do you do for folks that want to stay sick, or out of sink with God? I sat in a drug/alcohol recovery meeting yesterday, and it brought back early memories of my attempts to get clean and sober. Half hearted commitment, off balance rationaltions that even other additics find hard to make sense of. I sat and listened to what poeople had to say about hanging around old friends that are still drinking and using. About how that was good for thier recovery. Then gentily I shared my own story of years of failed attempts at recovery becuase I thought I could do the same things, same behaviors I did when I was activily using, and then stop using. Soon I'd be right back to using and in a bigger mess. I couldn't just tell someone new in recovery that what they were doing would fail, could even kill them. They'd get defensive, so I used myself as an example. Some of the people in the meeting aren't new, they've been doing the same dance for years, lying to themselves about how things are going to change, all the time they couldn't wait to get that next hit or drink. I let them know how important it is to change everything, people, places and things. Some are ready some aren't. The truth is, it's not that they can't quit, most times it's that they don't want to. Using drugs is illegal, it's a choice. Drinking isn't illegal if done at a legal age and in moderation, though using drugs /drink to excess is a sin. When the health community speaks of drug/alcolhol addcition being a disease it's as if they dissmiss the additics responsibility for the affliction. Addiction starts as a choice, which in God's eyes that choice is a sin. You explain that to some and they begin to deny the sin and the responsibility for where thier choice has lead them, to ruin. Pride and ego can really get in the way of one turning thier life around. It's hard to get a person in such a position to give thier unbelief over to God. They've trusted in the drugs/alcohol and that lifestyle for so long that they're afraid they won't have anything to lean on. Even though that lifestyle has brought them and thier family down, they feel like they'll have nothing else to lean on,to trust. Over time they've lost all their clean and sober friends and support. When you try to leave the lifestyle that's killing you it can be a pretty lonely place to be in. I had to swallow my pride and addmit that I was powerless over sin and needed the help of God and His people. Took time, it took geting honest. I had to regain the trust of my family. They never stopped loving me, but until I could get honest with myself and others, I really had no chance of being freed. Wow! That's just a little of what the Lord gave me through that meeting yesterday. Then just unfolded some of it today as I shared on the blog.

What are your thoughts?

Love you,.................... really , love with the love of the Lord,

Freddy