I hope that wherever you are, you know Recovery is with you.
Recovery pulls no punches. It tells us that we must face the lack of love and care we may have missed in our early home life. We must also learn to make choices that help us grow beyond those painful experiences. I am grateful that Recovery taught me this truth. Without it, I might never have found the courage to believe that healing was possible.
With the help of therapists, I began to heal. I learned to set healthy boundaries with my parents and early authority figures. I also began to let go of the shame I had carried from my wounded past.
We all must leave home in some way to discover a deeper and larger home. Over time, our difficult relationships with our families can lead us toward a deeper spiritual search. Think about how often great Christian teachers, spiritual leaders, and people in Recovery leave home. They travel to distant places, go on retreats, and make life-changing choices. Yet, sometimes, our parents and spiritual authorities resist our desire to grow and heal.
Instead of the familiar message, “Don’t leave home with it,” the great teachers of Recovery offer us a different message: “Leave home to find it!”
This means more than leaving our physical homes. It means looking beyond the beliefs, fears, wounds, and limitations we may have learned there. It means finding the courage to question what we were taught and to move beyond the hurts we have carried for so long.
Looking back on my healing journey, I can see that some suffering was necessary. There were things I had to release, even when letting go felt like losing my very life. In Recovery, we sometimes call this the death of our false self.
My false self was built around my roles, titles, and the image I wanted others to see. Much of it was a creation of my own mind. I had to let go of that image to make room for something deeper and more real.
As I have released my false self, I have made more room for my True Self to come alive in my head, heart, and soul.
How much of our false self are we willing to release to discover our True Self? This kind of necessary suffering can feel like dying. Yet, healthy Recovery support reminds us that honesty is essential to healing. With courage, compassion, and support, we can face the truth about ourselves and begin to live more freely.
Our True Self is who we have been from the beginning. It is the person we are beneath our fears, shame, roles, and defenses. In the spiritual wisdom of Recovery, it is “the face we had before we were born.”
We must be willing to compassionately face our suffering to discover the “pearl of great price” hidden within us. Our bodies, our roles, and our earthly lives may be passing, but the deeper truth of who we are is a precious gift.
May we have the courage to leave behind what no longer serves us, the grace to heal what has wounded us, and the hope to discover the beautiful truth of who we have always been.
Remember, Recovery is happening right now, in this moment.
Please pick up my new book. Your support of my ministry allows me to serve others. Daily Devotional: 12 Steps to Unshakeable Recovery: Winter, L.J.: 9798987012741: Amazon.com: Books
SuperHuman Being
Peace
Larry
email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website: https://superhumanbeing.net/