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Reach For Help
‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ Proverbs 17:17 NIV
Recovery counsellors use the phrase ‘terminally unique’ because people with addictions think their problem is unique: ‘Others would reject me if they knew my problem. I’ve struggled with it so long that I don’t believe I’ll ever conquer it.’ So they isolate, and live in despair and depression. They adopt a mask, and cover up the pain and turmoil in their lives. Shame and guilt pushes them to hide the truth about their interior life and they think to themselves: ‘If people knew what I’m really like, they’d never talk to me again. They’d exclude me forever.’ But the opposite is true. When we open our hearts and share with trustworthy friends, they are so often encouraged to become equally vulnerable and bring their own hidden secrets into the light. The greatest healing takes place when we discover we’re not alone: that others often feel just as we do, think likewise, and have the same sort of unruly fears and dark obsessions we have.
Don’t let pride keep you from conquering your problem. When you can muster the strength to be honest with yourself and others, you’ll find healing. Read these two Scriptures: ‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ ‘God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.’ (2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NIV)
The word for you today is: reach for help.
written by Bob Gass
‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ Proverbs 17:17 NIV
Recovery counsellors use the phrase ‘terminally unique’ because people with addictions think their problem is unique: ‘Others would reject me if they knew my problem. I’ve struggled with it so long that I don’t believe I’ll ever conquer it.’ So they isolate, and live in despair and depression. They adopt a mask, and cover up the pain and turmoil in their lives. Shame and guilt pushes them to hide the truth about their interior life and they think to themselves: ‘If people knew what I’m really like, they’d never talk to me again. They’d exclude me forever.’ But the opposite is true. When we open our hearts and share with trustworthy friends, they are so often encouraged to become equally vulnerable and bring their own hidden secrets into the light. The greatest healing takes place when we discover we’re not alone: that others often feel just as we do, think likewise, and have the same sort of unruly fears and dark obsessions we have.
Don’t let pride keep you from conquering your problem. When you can muster the strength to be honest with yourself and others, you’ll find healing. Read these two Scriptures: ‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ ‘God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.’ (2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NIV)
The word for you today is: reach for help.
written by Bob Gass
