Monday, February 4, 2013 -- Where Can I Take My Wreckage?

Monday February 4, 2013

Why does admitting I am currently powerless over my dependencies and that my life is unmanageable give me hope for the future? How could that possibly be the starting place of a new and better life?

In the 12 Steps of AA, Step One says, "We admitted that we are powerless over our dependencies, that our life has become unmanageable."

Step one is an admission of our powerlessness over addictive substances, people around us, and things we've been dependent on to sustain life as we know it. We acknowledge that where we find ourselves today is not healthy and will continue to cause a further downward spiral in our well-being. Regardless of what we have gained or lost, what we have achieved, or where we have fallen short, we have reached the point where we can no longer cope with life as it is. We admit surrender. We are like an army that can no longer advance against the enemy. We admit defeat and turn to God for mercy and grace. God is ready and willing to work with us and help us do what we cannot do for ourselves. In fact, Jesus said He came to seek and save people exactly like us, in circumstances just like ours.

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Luke 19:10; Matt. 9:10-13 NLT)

We aren’t suffering simply because we’ve misused chemicals or developed destructive habits and co-dependent relationships. We are not suffering because we thought we were created as a second class human being or because we grew up in a less than perfect environment. We suffer because we did not believe it was important to please God above everything else, and to seek His will in how we live each day. We suffer because we believed the lie that we could or should meet our own needs and solve our own problems our own way. We suffer because we believed that masking the great pain inside us with a substance or a relationship would give us a life worth living.

Finally, we've now come to the point where we realize the lie. Our way doesn't work. We admit we are powerless over our problems and now, powerless to even function as we have managed to do in the past. Life has become totally unmanageable.

Jesus, who has been watching and waiting all along while we stumbled around, again invites us to life as He always intended us to live it, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

Monday, February 4, 2013 -- Where Can I Take My Wreckage?

Audio for Monday, February 4, 2013 -- Where Can I Take My Wreckage?

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