Speaking of Addiction...

I had a revelation today. Never mind that it came in the midst of cleaning up a big poopy mess...welcome to my life.

If you've never battled addiction, this might not make any sense to you.

When a person is steeped in addiction, there is no regard to consequence. There is nothing she won't do to satisfy the craving. She will take risks that could endanger her life or deeply hurt the ones she loves. She can't help herself. She continues in the behavior not knowing how to make it stop. Fighting an unfair fight, she feels powerless to choose a better way.

Here's the revelation: As believers, we become addicted to Jesus and everything he offers. The Bible talks about how we're either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. As the former, we're on a downward spiral. It just keeps getting worse and worse. As the latter, the spiral is upward. It just gets better and better. As slaves to righteousness, we can't help but obey our great King no matter what he says, no matter how trivial or strange or inconvenient it seems. We follow the leading of the Holy Spirit without regard to consequence. We care less about what people think and more about what he God wants. Our Kingdom choices don't always make sense to the world (or even to us), but we can't help but follow the one we love.

It makes no sense to stop on the side of the road to hug a prostitute and give her a Wal-Mart giftcard, but I've done it when I've been so compelled that I couldn't help myself.

It makes no sense to pick up strangers and drive them to their destinations, but I've done it when I've sensed the Lord's prompting.

It makes no sense to drive an hour in the middle of the night to walk around a trailer and pray for hours on behalf of a friend's marriage, but I've done it and I've seen God's restoration.

It makes no sense to go to the home of someone I’ve just met simply to pray for her daughter's healing from debilitating endometriosis, but I've done it and seen God's healing power.

Years and years ago, I was a slave to sin. I would find myself in uncomfortable situations and feel powerless to get out. I made some dangerous decisions. By the grace and power and love of God, I'm free from addiction, shame, torment, disease, depression...you name it.

Freedom from addiction didn't erase withdrawal. I still had to walk through the pain that I was medicating. I faced my fears and survived. I cried out to God (and believe me, I cried--for months), and he met me. He healed me. He set me free. Freedom suddenly became, for me, the ability to choose how to respond (rather than react or succumb) in almost any situation.

Now, I'm a total Jesus addict. He is my constant craving. Nothing but Kingdom life satisfies. I can't get enough.