Recently I was thinking and praying for the great people in our New Life Program here at the Tacoma Rescue Mission when I began to think of what a courageous thing they are doing to break free of their addiction. So many people are caught in a vicious circle of pain in their lives and so few actually take the steps to break free.
What is the secret of breaking the vicious cycle? At least one important step is to “LET GO” of the secrets, pain, lust, fantasies that you have for the thing you are addicted to, and realizing you need to move on. Do people really lust and fantasize about a drug? Absolutely! In fact it isn’t just drugs, people often will nurse thoughts in their mind about their pain, anger, anxiety, disappointments, and addictions.
To “Let Go” doesn’t mean that you won’t continue in your struggle or that it’s a simple and easy step to getting rid of ingrained and painful experiences and habits. But unless you realize that part of the problem is your unwillingness to even consider moving on, of letting go, then you won’t ever see victory.
Recently I was talking with a stranger who had been turned down for a job as the executive assistant to an important CEO here in Pierce County. ”I got turned down because that woman (CEO) is a #*&%!,” she said to me. And she continued to rant and rave at me. I didn’t know the woman, but through the conversation I found out she had been holding anger and refusing to let go of the slights that had been done to her. Unfortunately, it was affecting her life big-time. It was becoming a poison that affected every conversation.
Often times addicts will begin plotting their next high before they are even finished with their current hit. LET IT GO! It’s well known that people relapse in their mind before they grab a bottle, pipe or needle. Why? They pick up their mental and emotional baggage and refuse to LET IT GO.
Are you worried about something? Instead of taking steps to find out if that fear is logical or manageable do you just isolate and turn it over in your mind? LET IT GO. Usually we worry about things that we have no control over and don’t have any energy left to manage the things which we do have responsiblity for.
How many of us work so hard to keep our sin and mistakes secret? We need to just let those things go. Of course, as simple as that may sound, it is often just not that easy. There are many practical steps that can be taken. The first step is to give those worries and addictions to God. After that, it will be a long and often painful process of recovery that may take you away from those things that you love so much, but that keep you tied to your addictions. There is only one certainty along this path of recovery: God will never leave you or forsake you. Here are some additional steps you can take that can help.
1. Pray. Admit that to God that you are struggling and this idea/thought/anger/addiction has it’s grip on you and you need His help to let it go.
2. Talk about it. Share it with a good friend, AA group, mentor or spouse. When we share our secrets with a trusted friend it takes a lot of the power out of the secret.
3. Get busy loving others. When you can’t let go of something it ususally means you are living in your own mind and for yourself. When you are “others” focused you can’t stew in your own addiction. Love others.
4. Be a learner. Go to church, AA, Celebrate Recovery, any group that will help you to learn and put your obsessive ideas in their proper perspective. The more you know the more you realize you are free to do much more than you ever thought.
I’m praying you’ll live in freedom and LET IT GO.
DC
