This Expanse

TRUTH

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3

REFLECTION

What is sobriety, or freedom from sin and shortcomings, but a loving hope?

In this reflection of the greater revelation, we have a glimmer of what it is to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

It doesn’t take a preacher or apostle to instill the joy of freedom in one who has crept back from insanity and death.

This joy is readily available to the willing and widespread among recovery circles and people groups everywhere.

And it’ll sustain and fuel you for a long time.

Eventually, though, it’s just fumes from the source. Embers spit from the furnace.

Unless it’s the target, the goal, the end-all-be-all, sobriety is just another status along the way.

I don’t mean to discard it—it certainly is necessary. But it can’t be everything. Even as I believe it to be the starting point that saved my butt and gave me a new lease on life, it is not the end-all-be-all.

It’s the first mile in the rest of this life.

There’s more, and it’ll become necessary to get to the root of things if we’re to have satisfaction that lasts.

Recovery literature itself admits that its real purpose is to enable us to find God (or at least earnestly begin seeking).

God, expand my expectations.

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NEXT

When you’re ready, here are some tools for you:

1. Book List (amazon link)
   Some of my favorite reads related to recovery and/or wrestling with faith.

2. 4th Step Guide (free download)
   A PDF with instructions and worksheets for a thorough 4th step. Straight from the Big Book. Fearlessness not included.

3. 12-Step Christianity (YouTube)
   My thoughts on the parallels between discipleship and sponsorship.

KEEP LEANING FORWARD

Cheers, Eamonn
Contact on LinkedIn, YouTube & Twitter.