From Celebrate Recovery, by Rick Warren, based on the Beatitudes:

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover.

“Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” - Matthew 5:4

Some of the Beatitudes are tough ones to swallow, but God throws us an easy one or two. I like this one because I’ve done some mourning in my life

Earnestly believe that God exists

There are actually very few Athiests in the USA (under 1%). Most are agnostics of some form or another. Even many self-proclaimed Christians are actually Agnostics if you ask enough probing questions about their faith. Nonetheless, most people believe God exists. That’s a start in the right direction for putting our recovery in the hands of Christ.

that I matter to him

Hmm… that’s a tough one for many of us. I didn’t grow up with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I even did all my confessions as a young boy through a priest because I was either incapable of talking to God or he didn’t like me enough to “go direct.” I looked at all the suffering in the world and wondered why God allowed/allows it to continue. I’d say believing that I matter to God is the toughest struggle for me. I know on an intellectual level that he does, and I know that the Bible has proven correct in every instance where I’ve tested it. For that reason, I go on in faith, even if I don’t always “feel” like I matter to God. It’s usually just self-pity where I question God’s love anyway, and not anything God did to me, or didn’t do for me.

he has the power to help me recover.

I believe what Jesus did in the New Testament, and I can’t think of any reason that God would restrict all miracles to a 3 year period in the entire history of man, especially when Jesus tells the apostles repeatedly that this power is available to them as well. The important thing to remember here is that God has the power, not me. Even if I get all tight with God - we become best buds… it’s his power.

If you are just starting the recovery process, I’ll give you a tip from the “other side” of the 12 steps. re-read the last sentence of that last paragraph, because everyone in recovery has fallen for that one at least once. Hopefully for you it will be less times then I fell for it.

What happens is that we start doing better. God helps us remove the junk from our lives and the light really starts shining in. Life becomes awesome - we’re learning so much, and feeling things we hadn’t for years (or ever).

Then I start believing that I have something to do with it. It starts small… pride usually does. It’s a nearly imperceptible drip, but it happens. Next thing I know, I’m back in the same behaviors that brought me there, and it all seems lost. It’s not, but it seems that way. Getting a taste of God’s goodness and then “returning to one’s own vomit” is a bitter turn of events.

If you’re saying, “It won’t happen to me,” then you should re-read the entire last 3 paragraphs. It will. It happens to everyone. Just be on watch, stay close to Christ, and stay humble. It’s all God, and it’s all good.

Categories: Addiction and Recovery
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