Do you feel misunderstood in your recovery? Do you wonder if people see you as less than? Are you ashamed that you went
so far away from God? Did you think you
knew Him before you struggled with your addiction? I did. I thought I was righteous and decent.
I thought I was pretty good. I did know God. But still I went far into crazy
drunkenness. Why did I get so carried away in alcoholism if I knew God? How could I sin so much if I was truly saved?
These are hard questions to overcome. But I have overcome them because God has
been my greatest advocate. He
believes in me. I have my purpose in Him. I speak for His
redemption. He bought me when I was at my worse. My purpose is to stand in this grace. I am relieved of shame. I am excused for the very shame I brought His
name. I am not accountable to man for my
past. I don’t pretend my past is gone. Rather, it just does not matter. What matters
is what God did; disgrace turns to honor in His eyes. My purpose is to believe
that and speak that. I set my heart on
Him and His great rescue of my life.
Another way I can proclaim this grace is to encourage others with the
very courage I received. I have the chance to reach out with the
hand that was reached for. We must stick
together. We could fail otherwise. We all
have the ability to go back to our addiction. No. Never, we say. But we
will be tempted. And alone we might not withstand the temptation. Together we
walk in our purpose of restoration and deliverance. We cling to God and we
cling to each other. We set our hearts
on Him and His great payment for our freedom. We have a story of redemption. We
must tell it. We must proclaim it.
