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Monday, June 10, 2013

June 10

Psalms 74:4
Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.
The pastor felt the focus of the church year should be missions. Definitely missions. The head of the church school wanted education to be the main concern. Finance felt that stewardship was the ticket. Each committee of the church had its own banner to wave. The conflicts that arose over the issue left deep wounds, and some left the church. The different groups sat together on Sunday morning, but they left the sanctuary engaged in bitter argument.

What kind of behavior is that for Christians? We are supposed to rise above the pettiness that rules the outside world. If we cannot learn to deal with one another in love, what business have we calling ourselves Christ's church? Our Lord is a Lord of compromise, sacrifice, and caring. No Christian should be our enemy. We are all members of the same body, and Christ blesses those who strive to live in peace and harmony with one another.

Prayer: Remind me, Lord, that I am a Christian first and foremost. The causes I support are second to the fact that I follow Jesus Christ. Let Him rule in my heart, and lead me in the ways I should walk. Amen.

Own Your Own Copy of this Devotional

New post on Ask4Recovery
Ask4Recovery – 6/10/13 – I am living in a cycle of shame and guilt with my addiction. How do I break it?by Ask4Recovery

Hello friends! Today’s ‘Ask’…

I am living in a cycle of shame and guilt with my addiction. How do I break it?

I know that cycle quite well and it is no fun to be in. It is not conducive to living a life of freedom. Rather, we are suffering, which is not what we were put here to do. We each have an infinite source of love, hope, compassion, and patience inside of us. Addictions block off that infinite source. They also contribute to an intense cycle of guilt and shame because, at the core of it, we are not being true to ourselves in any capacity. This brings out anger, frustration, sadness, and destruction, all of which are qualities that propel and enable the addiction.

For many years, when I was living in that cycle, I did not know what to do. I did not know another way of living was possible because as much as the addictions brought about the shame, they also brought about a distorted sense of gratification and control. That gratification was really just disconnection from myself. What helped me most was ‘outing’ the addiction. Letting go of that cycle of self-defeating control and letting go of those maladaptive coping behaviors and understanding what was really going on with me. The destructive behaviors were all part of the manifestation of the intense discomfort, disconnection, and facade I had between my mind, body, and soul. By getting in touch with myself on a deeper level, I slowly began to peel away the layers of the onion and shred away that cycle of guilt and shame because for the first time, I was being true to myself.

This takes time. We are creatures of habit and we can train ourselves to start acting and thinking differently. For me, my addictions became so familiar in my life that I became unconscious in my life. By stepping into the unfamiliar and seeing my life without my addictions, I slowly became more conscious and awake in my life. And as this happened, the guilt and shame cycle started to break as well.

How did you break out of your addiction? The guilt and shame cycle? Let us know and join the movement!

Sending love,

Lauren

Ask4Recovery | June 10, 2013 at 10:44 am | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/p3wKKk-4Q

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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Did a "Troubled Teen" Rehab Create Murderers? | The Fix

New post on Ask4Recovery

Ask4Recovery – 6/8/13 – Why does an addict have such a short memory of the damages from using?

by Ask4Recovery

Hello friends! Today’s ‘Ask’…

"Why does an addict have such a short memory of the damages from using? I'm clean for weeks or months, stress up and craving comes out of nowhere. I bargain, lose and then use. Why?" – A fellow Ask4Recovery member

That is a wonderful question! It is pretty amazing where our minds can take us. Where that destructive thinking can take us. How we can so easily lose sight of those weeks or months or years that we have clean and the addiction mindset can take over and bring us right back to the thought that engaging in something destructive will make everything better. Well, that is ‘old pattern’ thinking and thinking that is going to get me nowhere! That is thinking that is not conducive to my recovery and I need to shift that thinking when it creeps in. I have to release the thought or craving and trust that my higher power will restore me to sanity.

For me, when those thoughts and that thinking come up, I have to take a step back and ask myself, ‘What is really coming up for me?’ The alcohol or the drug craving is part of the solution for the addict mindset, but not part of the solution for the recovery mindset. Given I am in the recovery mindset, this means sitting with those uncomfortable feelings that I escaped from for so long. But by sitting with these feelings, I am unlocking my true and authentic self and accepting myself on a whole new playing field. I recently moved into my own apartment and my destructive thinking is making an appearance. It is trying to take advantage of me being on my own, telling me that I can’t do it, I’m not good enough, and the list goes on. Now, I can acknowledge these thoughts, realize they are not me, and release them because I know that a thought or craving no longer directly translates to a self-sabotaging action. It is so freeing!

I also have to remember that I am not alone. My addict mind likes to make me think that I am and I watch as my world can get smaller and smaller until it is just me. But the reality is that there is a community of people that truly care about me and when that craving comes up, I talk about it, release the craving, and watch as that desire to use diminishes. It takes honesty though. And willingness. But it works and we can switch the selfish and ego-driven attitude to one of gratitude!

What do you do when a craving or urge comes up? How do you stay in recovery? Let us know and join the movement!

Sending love,

Lauren

P.S. Check out http://www.hayhouseworldsummit.com/ for Day 8 of the World Summit. So much inspiration there and over 110 World –Renowned teachers to guide you in ALL areas of your life!!