“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10

“Hi my name is Lisa Donham. I’m addicted to sweet tea, rap music, blogging, documentaries and The Dollar Tree.”

Although this is comical and unfortunately very true…. 

What if we were honest? What if we dug deep into our heart to unearth those pains and hurts that cause us to rely on something or someone other than God?

So many of us “joke” about the things we are “addicted” to. And it’s true that most people are addicted to something. Perhaps not anything “bad”- but something. What is that one thing that rules your mind? That one thing you can not live without? That one thing that magnetizes your soul?

Perhaps it’s something such as alcohol, drugs, sex, cutting, pornography and/or gambling? These addictions are seen as worse because they cause such catastrophic damage to our relationships, life styles and ourselves. And that is certainly true. 

However, there are other addictions that are seen as more acceptable that can be just as damaging. Shopping, workaholism, eating disorders or gaming. 

I don’t know if you have ever seen TLC’s show “My Strange Addiction,” but there are literally all kinds of addictions out there. 

1 Corinthians 6:19 say, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” For those of us who are Christians- we were bought with a price- Jesus’ blood. Now whatever we do to the body, we are doing to the body that The Holy Spirit indwells.

For a Christian, this sheds a whole new light on addiction of any kind. 

I was inspired to write this blog by a picture I saw today that brought me to tears… 

This is a painting done by a recovering addict who is now a preacher. 

At first I was offended, and you may be too. But then I thought, “Let’s think about this.” If we are Christians, in essence Jesus is feeling our pain when we sin and disobey him, even if we don’t feel it at the time. He is our Creator God and He sees everything and anything that happens. All the sin, all the chaos, all the calamity. 

Not to say that He is some helpless, crying Savior up on the throne who is just screaming, “What have  I done? I can’t fix this.”

“Negative ghost rider.”

My God can do anything.:) 

But, it is to say that as He looks down on His creation and sees us sinning and making bad decisions, He lovingly tells us,

“I ALREADY TOOK YOUR PAIN! I ALREADY TOOK YOUR CROSS! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD! I LOVE YOU!!!”

And He pursues. And HE pursues. And He pursues. And if you are reading this, you are still breathing…. yes He can still can use you!

So what do we do when we find our lives masked in addiction? Whether it is eating or alcohol, all addictions take a few key points to treat:  

1. Community
   One of the keys to getting ourselves better is getting ourselves HELP. Creating community. There is nothing wrong with seeking the help you need. Professional help- a counselor, therapist, rehab, a doctor and/or a pastor. Someone who can look at your condition from a professional standpoint and help you to go into recovery. Community also involves a church, friends, family, people that you know will support and surround you in your quest for freedom. Isolation is not an answer. Community is key. The reason for this is usually your addiction is not your main problem, it’s the reason beneath why you rely what you rely on. Why do you mask your pain? What is your pain? What is your hurt? Nothing exposes and makes us realize our state more than being around other people. Especially those who have walked the road before we were even on it. 
2. Accountability 
   Holding yourself accountable is not only a life skill, it is necessary for the Christian lifestyle. I know I have people that will say, “Lisa, what are you doing?” My family, I know, will keep me accountable. My coworkers will keep me accountable to my job. God will keep me accountable for my actions. Find someone who you trust who you know will keep you accountable. That person who you can call and say, “You need to come get me.” That person who will call you out when you do wrong. That person who will ask you “how are you today?” 
3. Jesus
   I realize you may not read this on a standard recovery site and you may not see it in the tabloids as “Jesus” being a main ingredient for addictions; however, even if I am being accountable and even if I have community around me and to take it a step further- even if I am not partaking in my over-eating or porn or drugs or alcohol or shopping- if I am doing “great”  but don’t have Jesus- I’ve missed the point. 

God doesn’t help you to recovery only for you to bury your past. He helps you to recovery for you to bury your past and rise with Him. 

He wants to use you! And YES you are useable! 

Addiction is running rampant in our society. And who better to show an addict the way to recovery than another addict? Whatever your addiction may be, other people have walked this road before you!

We all have faults. We all have flaws. We all have things we wish we didn’t struggle with. 

Speak Up. Reach Out. Find Freedom.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32