It's time to admit that most people who care deeply for the addicted and desire to see true transformational change come to all who are affected by addiction have no idea how to respond to the hurting.
Feeling Helpless will either drive you further into a problem, or drive you away from the problem. The other night one of our team received a call from someone who's church was engaged in an outdoor neighborhood outreach event. During the event, which was open to anyone who desired to come, two self-confessing heroin addicts came and began to pour out their souls as to their struggles with their addiction. They confessed to the crimes their lives had been reduced to in order to maintain the habit they could not stop on their own. They were asking for help. The phone call came to one of our tem. "I told them that there was a group of churches in our area working together to help people like them so I'm calling you. What do we do? What should I say? How can we help them?" At this point in the story it would be great to report that solutions were immediately offered that were perfectly fit to the needs. It would be stunning to report that we found them beds in a rehab center that very night and they were now on their way to wholeness. That would be nice, but that is not how the conversation continued. Instead, both parties were scrambling to unearth answers from the recesses of their minds to offer some hopeful crumb of wisdom to the couple. There was an overwhelming sense of helplessness in the conversation.
Feeling helpless is the perfect impetus to drive us to learn more, gather information, seek more answers, and ready our minds for truly adequate responses to the issues. The next day, two of our team members discussed how we will begin to engage in more efforts to inform our responses and use this moment of helplessness to drive us further into the problem, not further away.
And so much more. Uninformed, uneducated, unwise compassion will not be enough. On the phone, compassion was dripping from the conversation, but there was a drought of wisdom and knowledge. Feeling Helpless will either drive you further into a problem, or drive you away from the problem. At Addiction Response Ministry, we're ready to press in. Pray for us that we would be wise and equip ourselves, and thereby the church, to respond better. AMEN.
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Lovingly responding to people must always contain the full truth because truth sets people free. Love engages and cares for the person, and the truth reveals the facts of the person. Factual, truthful, gracious revelation, one-on-one with a person opens the door to true freedom in Christ.
One reality of addiction is that you can find it in the seats of your local church on any given Sunday. Yes, that is true. In order for the church to disengage from their own contribution to the cover-up that allows addiction to continue week-after-week inside its own walls, the church must become healthy in the way it addresses this issue. Jesus is the Master of addressing people with both truth and grace. He has this way of cutting through the cover-ups and revealing what is really going on inside a person's life. Here are a few examples of what Jesus has done, and how the church can mirror His model in the church today. People can't be set free unless their cover is blown. Is denial in the church any different than denial in the addict? Is avoidance in the church getting people any closer to healing and restoration? 1. Don't Fear the Truth, Fear ongoing Denial. People tend to fear speaking the truth. Think for a moment about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. She says to Jesus, "I have no husband." Jesus replies, "You've had five..." The woman responds, "I see you're a prophet." The woman ends up introducing people to Jesus and does not curse Him for the truth. The truth set her free. It is less caring to withhold truth than to speak it. Do you know an addicted person in the church? Speaking the truth is not the enemy, denial is. 2. Don't Speak Until Love is In Place. The kind of love God has for us is decidedly intentional. He chooses to love us even when we don't love Him back. He seeks our best even when we insult Him. You can't always be guaranteed that your words will be received well, but you can ensure that your words are grounded in pure motives and intentions. Think of Jesus' interaction with the rich young man who wanted to know what he had to do to gain eternal life. After suggesting that he follow the commands of the law, Jesus gets down to business and reveals that his issue is his addiction to his wealth. However, the scriptures say "Jesus looked at him and loved him." Whether or not the man loved Jesus in return is immaterial. What is important is that all truth be grounded in true love. 3. Be Ready to Address Addiction In All Its Forms. Drugs and alcohol are the obvious substances that typify addiction, but what about other addictions of the emotional, relational, monetary, sexual, excessive kind? They are just as real in the church. Part of the reason many drug and alcohol abusers won't grace the doors of a church is that they feel unwelcome by people who have as many issues as they do. Is your church a safe place for people to be real and know that they can find help, hope and healing? Does your church selectively judge certain addictions on a different scale than others?
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free! AMEN. |
AuthorThe team of Addiction Response Ministry responds with messages of hope, help, and healing. Archives
January 2017
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