National Association for Christian Recovery

Daily Meditation for Wednesday, Sep 27, 2006

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition a long time he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:5-6)

Do you want to get well?! What a shocking question. Isn't the answer obvious? Why even ask? One of the most confusing parts of the recovery process is the fact that we have many layers of resistance to recovery. As we begin to see the changes which recovery will demand, we begin to see how attached we have become to our existing way of life. Sometimes we play games to hold on to the past. We have a good friend who prayed early in recovery that God would deliver her from alcoholism so that she could continue to drink!

We are all like this - we want healing but we fear the changes which healing will bring. Sometimes the fear of recovery comes from the fact that we can't imagine any way of being in the world other than what we have known. A life consumed with despair, rage and self-loathing may seem pretty awful, but its the only life we may have known. Any change may seem risky and uncertain. God is not ignorant of our resistance to healing. God asks the difficult question: "Do you want to get well?" It's not always as obvious as it seems. The 12-Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous addresses this issue when it talks about being "entirely ready" for God to change us. The process of becoming "entirely ready" is at the heart of the struggle of recovery. Our hearts and minds are being prepared to answer 'yes' to God's offer of wholeness.

My answer to your question, Lord, is yes. I am ambivalent at times. I am uncertain and afraid at times. But, I do want to get well. The answer is yes. Amen.

Copyright 1991 Dale and Juanita Ryan

Purpose Driven Life - Devotional 9/27/2006

Only one you
By John Fischer

Mister Rogers was right after all: There is only one you. But this information is much more important than just boosting your self-esteem. It should help you better serve others by being more confident about your God-given role in life.

No one else fits your shape. No one else has your blend of gifts, talents, and natural abilities – making you very important in the whole scheme of things. “God made our bodies with many parts,” Paul wrote, “and he has put each part just where he wants it.” (1 Corinthians 12:18) And as it is with the human body, so it is with the Body of Christ, which is the corporate collection of all who believe.

But this uniqueness goes beyond giftedness; it reaches as well into the depth of each of our experiences in our life of faith. No one else has your life. No one else has your pain, your hardships, your joys, or your sorrows. Everything in life shapes us and we are shaped by everything for a reason – so that we can touch others in a unique way based upon who we are and what we’ve been through. God is amazing. He doesn’t waste anything in our lives.

Every piece of our lives and experiences can be used by Christ to touch someone else. We were made for each other; we live for each other; we even die for each other by “dying well,” as it was once referred to in a memorial service I attended. We die with hope so that others who live might see the reality of Christ in even the darkest of hours. See? God uses everything.

Are you just getting by, or are you living for a reason? Think about your unique gifts and ask yourself how those gifts are benefiting others. What specific way is God using you to touch others in the Body of Christ? Do you seem to have an extra measure of wisdom, or mercy, or discernment, or knowledge, or administration, or desire to serve? These will help determine how you can look for opportunities to help others.

And then, think about the things you have gone through so far in your life – especially the difficult or challenging things where God has met you with his faith. That information is not just for you, it’s for you to empathize with and encourage others who have encountered similar struggles.

God isn’t messing around here. There are no accidents with our lives. Whatever we have received and experienced has shaped who we are, and because of that, we are qualified. There is truly no one else like you … for a reason.