No Situation is too Hopeless!

My parents introduced me to Jesus at a very early age and I spent most of my adult life as a follower of Christ.  In recovery the literature often refers to a “higher power” and you are able to fill in the blank with whatever or whoever you want.  While that may work for some, the only higher power I have is God and because of my relationship with Him I have a hope that others may not understand.  There was a time in my life a little over 25 years ago that I felt at my very lowest.  I had no hope, and I could not see how my circumstances would change.  I remember going to God with the little bit of strength I had left, and I will never forget what He spoke to my heart. He reminded me of the scripture in Hebrews where God promises He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. I knew no matter what happened I would not have to walk through it alone. In that moment, God restored my hope. His presence was so real that I can still remember every detail of that moment.  Within a year my life had completely turned around with the highlight being the birth to my daughter. I named her Hope (her middle name) so I would never forget how God led me from despair back to joy.  From that moment on I knew no matter what came my way, God would be right there with me!

I cannot even imagine walking through this ugly disease of addiction without hope.  At first my hope was that my husband would find sobriety, and everything would be normal.  I found myself saying “If he would _____ then I will be happy” or “If he would _______ then I can enjoy my life”.  You can fill the blank in with whatever you would like, but the common denominator is that my peace was dependent on another person.  I thought in order to have the life I wanted my husband had to be different.  God quickly pulled me out of this codependent thinking and I began to realize I’m responsible for my own happiness, joy, and peace and it was time to get to work on myself.  In recovery we talk so much about what brought us to Al-anon.  Almost every single person says it was to learn how to fix our addicted love one.  It doesn’t take long to learn; we are in recovery for no one but ourselves.  My home group is filled with some of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life.  We have a common bond of having a family member suffering from addiction, but we don’t let that define who we are.  We come together with the sole purpose of sharing our experience, strength, and hope so we can leave each meeting better than we came.  If anyone would ask me where I laugh the most, I would tell them without a second of hesitation “My Al-anon meeting”.  I know it doesn’t make sense, but it is 100% the truth.

I have seen it firsthand the difference between someone who works their recovery program and those that do not.  I have actually had a front row seat with one of my husband’s family members that absolutely refuses to work a program.  He lives most days absolutely miserable and cannot practice healthy detachment nor let go of control. He is holding on with both fists to something he was never meant to carry and has let someone else determine his level of peace.  He has no hope.  Even though it may be difficult to watch, I have come to understand you cannot change people, I can only change myself.  I have found a Savior that gives me hope, a recovery program that gives me support, and a peace within myself that allows me to live the life I was intended to have.

The Serinity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference.

My hope for you today is to go after your own recovery and let God take care of the rest!