The Way Out
Sometimes a habit gets the best of us. A guilty pleasure morphing into an addiction. A good work ethic becoming workaholism. A glass of wine every so often suddenly being a lot more than that. Even connecting with people far and wide on social media can turn into our first and last reach of our days, distracting ourselves from the reality of life and the lives right in front of us.
And other times we mess around with stuff we know we shouldn’t. From the very outset we know it’s wrong and a risk, but we dabble thinking we won’t get burned.
Sometimes we know the habit is causing destruction and at the same time can’t seem to stop running to it. We move toward the unhealthy and destructive behavior lacking the awareness of the why behind the obsessions and almost magnetic pull. Or we make excuses for it. Refuse to see it for what it is.
Even if we know the why behind the actions we can be incapable of conquering our appetite for the object of that destructive addiction. Or we know what we’d have to deal with to conquer the addiction. Loneliness. Pain. Rejection. Shame.
Our addictions numb us. They protect us from feeling, while at the same time inflicting insurmountable pain by robbing us of connection with those we love- including our own selves.
The road out of addiction and unhealthy habits exists. The tried and true steps of recovery work, but rather than sharing all of the beautiful pieces of recovery’s mosaic, I want to share the one that I keep being reminded of: Praying for Willingness.
Simple enough. It’s enough to get you started.
So here’s the deal- even if you are actively practicing and relentlessly pursuing your addiction, for the next 60 days, ask for the willingness to stop. Ask in the midst of the behavior. Yep I just said that. Pray when you are trying to get high . . . pray when you are doing that thing you told yourself you wouldn’t do ever again.
Prayer isn’t a conversation reserved for when we are cleansed and in our right minds.
Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden . . .” Addiction wears us out, making us weary, heavy laden, and “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Hence our qualification to pray.
So even while on a spending binge at Target, you can simultaneously pray for the willingness to stop. Ask as you swipe your credit card. Even if you are inhaling something you should not, on the exhale, pray for the willingness to stop. It sounds a bit crazy, but whatever has you ensnared is probably already driving you crazy and causing you to question whether or not you are crazy, so praying for willingness in the midst of doing something that has you licked, certainly can’t add any more crazy to your life.
The prayer for willingness while one still remains chained to self-destructive messes has been the small beginning of a brand new life for so many. Give it a try.
Dive Deeper…
Our course on attachment explores the concept of attachment with self, God, and others, and what healthy vs unhealthy attachment looks like in these areas. Learn more about the course by clicking the button below.
