A Whole New Meaning
The subject of addiction sits at the core of my inner workings - which makes it a hard subject to resist. For this post, I'll highlight addiction as anything that a false sense of "self" obsesses over; that which the false self determines to conquer or overcome. It could be anything; even the equivalent to Paul's thorn in the flesh. Addiction manifests in many forms but I believe people''s propensity toward addiction is grounded in the illusion of a separate self - twisting uniquely in each person. There are no pat answers for overcoming addiction and the time table is God’s alone. I see that some addictions fall off easily. I've overcome many bad habits; but I've battled others for years with elusive results. Some destructive patterns are overcome in this life and others are not. But this I know - every one of them is used by God to point to one true thing... faith. More specifically, God's own faith that leads to awareness of union and utter dependency on Christ in me, as me. Perhaps the most stubborn weaknesses most effectively slay the delusional false self, converting my soul to the truth that Christ is my life and He's using all things for His good. The work of the cross, union life (the Gospel), alters the meaning of everything. Sin no longer separates me from God; it does not erect a wall or a barrier between us. When Christ tore down the separating curtain He forever changed my relationship to sin. In spiritual union with Him I find that addiction, bondage, weakness, sins of the flesh, or affliction of any kind takes on a whole new meaning. Now the cycle of addiction (whether overcome in this life time or not) is the opposition used to lead me into greater faith in Him. It leads to abandonment to union, to His life, His strength, and to an absolute trust in His sovereignty that undeniably gets me where I need to be when I need to be there. Some sins fall off quickly, others endure and cause the heartache which leads to greater faith. Most agree, addictive behavior centers around self-focus. Disarm the addiction by refusing the self that clings to the addiction, the way the addiction makes it feel, or to the erroneous need to cure itself of said addiction. Refuse the self-focus and starve the addiction. The lust to self-improve fans the illusion of independence. A different posture can be taken. Stop thinking about it altogether. The thoughts that cause me to chase my tail have no power to mark a straight line. Instead of thinking about my situation I can watch and observe, and remain quiet by keeping all judgment far away from it. I give the fresh approach a chance to reveal its own value as I watch without judgment. I refuse to separate good and evil by trusting God to use evil for good. I weave in and out of the conscious awareness of my…
