For many of us, the Christian walk is not a smooth road.
There are a lot of speed bumps, ruts, and potholes—in the form of negative experiences
due to our own actions, or the actions of others, or of just living in a broken
world, These obstacles slow or stop our progress. There are also many billboards
the Enemy has placed alongside the road, signs that advertise so many quick
fixes to the quest for fulfillment: “Turn at the next exit for pleasures that
will change your life!” “Spiritual palliative care on the cheap ahead!” “Stop!
Turn around! You missed your exit to security through your will to power!” These
unhealed wounds and empty substitutes (and countless others like them) are a part
of what Celebrate Recovery has come to call our “hurts, hang-ups, and habits.”
I have got my share of those. I have got plenty of scars
from childhood trauma, bad breaks, and self-inflicted wounds. My lack-of-dad
issues and too-much-of-granddad issues can often trigger flight-or-fight
responses when faced with difficult men. And do not get me started on my mom
issues. During my walk, I have come to realize I often turn down the side-street
of people-pleasing in search of the affirmation and accolades of others to
satisfy my yearning for peace. I have also taken the exit to overeating to numb
my anxiety or loneliness or hurt feelings. And I have pulled over on the shoulder
to roll down my window and throw a few bucks at one of my favorite drug dealers—overspending—in
order to get a quick high. And I will get a temporary fix but only end up feeling
worse about myself and even farther away from God.
If you are like me, you could use help with all your personal
baggage.
Birthed from the ministry of Rick Warren’s Saddleback
Church, Celebrate Recovery (CR from here on out) provides the helping hand that
so many of us need to get over our past, break free from our present, and head
toward a brighter future. CR is a twelve-step program with a couple of major
differences from typical twelve-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and
Narcotics Anonymous.
The first major difference is that CR makes no bones
about who the program points to as the only true “Higher Power.” That person is
the triune God of the Bible. Almost all the other programs of this nature keep
their Higher Power vague and ambiguous, leaving he/she/its identity up to individual
choice to be as inclusive as possible. While this is laudable, I have always wondered
just how effective such programs were in leading people to a saving awareness
of the truth. They might help you with your addition, but they might not point
you to Jesus. CR is unapologetic being a Christian recovery ministry.
Second, CR does not discriminate when it comes to our
habits, hurts, and hang-ups. The typical twelve-step program focuses in on one
specific area of addiction—alcohol, pornography, or overeating, for example. CR,
on the other hand, provides help and support for those wrestling with any
pervasive temptation, struggle, or issue.
In addition to their own Christianized version of the twelve
steps, CR also has eight principles which are based upon an interpretation of
the Beatitudes, as well as the fuller and richer version of Reinhold Niebuhr’s
famous Serenity Prayer, a staple of most recovery programs.
A typical CR meeting includes a large, unified group
lesson and then small groups that are divided up usually by gender and by
source of struggle. The unified lessons alternate between testimonies and studies
on the steps and principles. As with other twelve-step programs, CR offers
sponsors who can guide people through the steps. And, just like other twelve-step
programs, CR demands that people in the program respect the privacy and
anonymity of other people in the program. It is a safe place for people to come
and to share their struggles and find support.
I am by no means an expert about CR. I have just started
attending meetings. To be honest, I had been looking for something like this
for quite some time. What I love most about CR is that it allows the local
church an opportunity to be Jesus to broken and hurting people. All of us, no
matter who we are, have hurts, hang-ups, and habits. All too often in the local
church, we feel pressure to keep these struggles under wraps, to pretend I am okay,
you are okay, we are all okay. Multiply that pressure a hundredfold if you are
in vocational ministry. To admit weakness is to somehow admit being a lesser
person, to being someone who is not a “good Christian,” whatever that’s
supposed to mean. And so, our church gatherings can resemble something more
like Pharisee conventions than places of healing for people who have been hurt by
themselves, others, or the fallen world around them. CR provides an opportunity
for wounded healers to approach other wounded people and offer help, with the
eventual outcome that those they help in turn become wounded healers themselves.
I think Jesus would like his church to look a little bit
more like that.
If you are interested in finding some help with your
hurts, hang-ups, and habits in order to make more space for God in your heart
and life, I encourage you to check CR out. You can find out more about them,
including meetings in your area, at the link below.
Grace and peace.
Celebrate Recovery’s website: https://www.celebraterecovery.com/
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