We men in the Church have a huge potential problem.
From our
earliest years we are taught to be self-reliant:
From our
earliest years we are taught to be self-reliant:- Work hard
- Do not borrow
- Get out of debt
- Get a good job
- Support your family
- Make your own decisions
- Be the leader in the home
- Take responsibility for
yourself
- Do not depend on others
for support
- Pull yourself up by your
own bootstraps
- If you've made a mistake,
fix it yourself
These are all great concepts, except when they creep in
to the areas of repentance and addiction.
Neither repentance nor recovery from addiction can be
successful beneath the umbrella of self-reliance. Without help from the Lord, neither
repentance nor recovery is possible. Yet
we somehow feel that since “we got into this by ourselves,” thus “it is our
responsibility to get out of it by ourselves.” Wrong!
That is not Christ’s doctrine. We desperately need His help if we are to be
successful. Many of us initially struggle with Steps
1, 2, and 3. Each of those steps
goes against what we thought we
believed:
- Admit that you, if
yourself, are powerless to
overcome you addictions.
- Come to believe that the
power of God [not your power] can
restore you to complete spiritual health.
- Decide to turn your will and your life over to
the care of God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Nowhere in those steps is there any mention of the need to
be self-reliant. Just the opposite, we
are commanded to become humble and teachable. And until we can become humble, and give our will to the Lord, we will never be successful in overcoming our
weaknesses.
Please ponder on these things and the Spirit will testify of
their truth!
No comments:
Post a Comment