For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬

REFLECTION

We speak in terms of shortcomings and character defects in recovery.

And this is good—often we are joined by friends who have been wounded by religious folk and words like “sin” are so triggering they’ll not benefit from the solution of sobriety because they’re not willing to listen to another bunch of Jesus freaks.

Semantics.

I’ll gladly edit my words if it’ll help someone sit all the way down and consider another way.

My own story includes a long period of initial sobriety when I was pretty much walking away from the church. I’d found a better replacement for the inherent hypocrisy of large congregations and bickering denominations.

But as I look back with the clarity of hindsight, I was only trudging forward in parallel for those years. And eventually I left my brush path and returned to the road of the faith that is only flawed, like recovery, because it’s full of flawed people…like me.

Now, battles of semantics mean little to me. Sin is bad and it separates me from God and my fellows. We all succumb, and it doesn’t matter much what we call it.

The point is to get out of it. To “go and sin no more.” To do the impossible.

But this is life. Stuck in a mortal body, eternity written on our hearts, afflicted with the vices and temptations of pleasure, commanded to be perfect, given freely the power to live. In Him.

God, thank you for the free gift of salvation.

NEXT STEPS

When you’re ready, here are some tools for you:

1. Book List (amazon link)
   Some of my favorite reads related to recovery and/or wrestling with faith.

2. 4th Step Guide (free download)
   A PDF with instructions and worksheets for a thorough 4th step. Straight from the Big Book. Fearlessness not included.

3. 12-Step Christianity (YouTube)
   My thoughts on the parallels between discipleship and sponsorship.

KEEP LEANING FORWARD

Enjoyed this issue? Share it with a friend!

Cheers, Eamonn
Contact on LinkedIn, YouTube & Twitter.