When we were living for our own self-interest and feeding our addictions, it was easy to become consumed by our own wants or needs. Within our families and communities, we become known as “takers”, trampling over the unseen needs of others.
Now that we are living life with God in recovery, we have come face to face with the damage of our desperate choices in the desperate circumstances we were in. In these moments of painful realization, we may be tempted to run back to addiction but, God has a plan to help us make right what has gone wrong. It will require another kind of desperate measure – trusting God’s way and faithfully following His instructions.
But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. (Psalm 31:14-15 NLT)
In the Bible we read the story of a man whose hunger for riches drove him to theft and extortion. He made some money but people hated him and life was empty. He heard about Jesus and His love and care for people, and he was desperate to see him. He was short so he even had to put his dignity aside and climb a tree in order to do so.
As the procession with Jesus walked by that tree, amazingly, Jesus stopped and called to this man to come out of the tree and made plans to go home with him for dinner. After conversation with Jesus this man turned away from his addiction to power and money and turned to Jesus for forgiveness and restoration. Then he faced the enormous evil he had committed for years in robbing others in the community. How could he make things right? Once again, desperate times required desperate measures and in a public and generous way he gave away most of his wealth in order to make amends to people he had harmed.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)
As we make the transition in life from being “takers” to generous “givers”, the only wise thing to do is seek God’s way and follow it. When we do our part, God will take care of the rest.
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