Separation

TRUTH

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39

REFLECTION

Separation is the bleeding heart of our addiction. We chisel away, unknowingly, at the bonds that hold us to others until we don’t have the power to pull them back together again.

We hide behind callousness while despair lunges after us.

And we must reach our end. We must come to a stopping point though it pains us to do so. By this time our addiction is in full swing. We need it.

We experience a perverted piece of longing that we were designed to seek after in God himself.

But the longing we have for our own interests runs dry daily.

Remarkably, even as we end up far from everyone and seemingly void of our Creator’s influence, he is but a breath away. One utterance.

No incantation will fix this mess. But to stop and turn around is to acknowledge and see that despite the sprinting we’ve done away from Him, He is just as near as at any time.

Now, this is fine and dandy, but we are still in a world of hurt. And knowing His love is available often makes us feel good for about 15 minutes.

Then what?

All the things.

Though we may ignite a new pining for our Maker, if we continue to poison ourselves, it will do little good for us or anyone nearby.

At any cost, we have to put down our addiction. And this may, and probably does, necessitate, getting help.

There’s a reason prayer is constant throughout recovery groups and religions alike. We have found that communion with God and dependence upon Him for strength, guidance and wisdom is vital to sobriety.

So, we get busy praying.

And God did not create us to be alone. Neither spiritually nor physically. We need Him and we need others too. We’ll need them to stay sober, and we’ll be charged with helping them through our own experience. This circle of passing it on is a portion of His design for the rhythms of our lives.

So, we get into fellowship with others.

And we keep seeking. Nothing will separate us from His love, but we will do well to insulate ourselves from the poor choices that can indeed cause us to turn our backs on that love.

God, thank you for your never-ending patience and love. Help me not squander it again.

NEXT

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

Cheers, Eamonn
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