struggle

There is a recent article in a Sports Illustrated regarding a major league baseball player who has been struggling with addiction for many years. He has great talent, makes lots of money, has a beautiful family. And yet. he continues to relapse. His wife says after a number of cycles of recovery/relapse, they realized "something was missing" from their lives and his recovery. They now consider themselves "born again" Christians and work to have a continuing dialogue with the Holy Spirit. And yet he has had further relapses. That is the way addiction works. Even when one has moved into a relationship with God there can be times the addiction, the evil, rears its terrible head. That is life-that is addiction-that is recovery.

What does one do? I certainly don't have the answer but I do know that a person in recovery must always put their recovery first. It must be THE priority. There can't be returns to the people/places and things that are part of that past addiction. Instead there have to be safe people/places and things. Safe, as in a new life with prayerful relationship with God..Safe, as in people who know about the addiction and won't offer to buy "just one." Places where the drugs/alcohol will not be available. Places where you stop and ask God to be with you-over and over and over.

It seems to me this baseball player is going to have a tough time. He continues to be with people and places that do not understand and are a set up. It is not those people's fault. It is his response-ability, just as it is our response-ability, to make other choices about who and where he hangs out; where, with God's help, we make the recovery decision-not the "fun" decision.

He has less than 6 months clean time. I hope I see another article in one year, two years, three years that talk of his continued recovery.

No matter what your struggle, What choices will you make today that are recovery choices? Have you talked with God about those choices today?
Blessings-Penny