From: Dana Cramer
Monday, May 3, 2010
For you have been chosen by God himself–you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own—all this so that you may show to others how God called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were less than nothing; now you are God’s own. Once you knew very little of God’s kindness; now your very lives have been changed by it. 1 Peter 2:9-10
I just finished a letter yesterday to my 6-year-old grandson who is finishing kindergarten this month. The letter is personal, so I won’t go into details except to tell you it will not be opened until his graduation from high school 12 years from now. The letter as well as other letters from family will be kept in a time capsule until then. As I wrote to Jordan I found myself thinking of how connected I am to him, how much I love him, and the great times we have together. But then, I realized I feel this way about everyone in my family. I love giving to them and treasure the times we have together.
But you know, it hasn’t always been this good. There was a time when taking was more important then giving—a time when my wants and needs to satisfy my counterfeit gods was more important then the quality of my relationships. I’m not proud of that, but it’s the truth. Sin addiction is a reality we all have in common, and I suppose some more than others, but we all sin. It’s called the human condition. And when you get caught up in satisfying your own needs at the expense of others, when true repentance isn’t in your vocabulary, sin can be devastating. It destroys families, careers, and lives; I should know, I’ve been down that road, and only by God’s Grace have I been set upon a different path. Thank you, Jesus, for the Cross.
Many of us come into recovery as takers. We have taken so much from so many as addiction took over our lives. But some come from the opposite end of the spectrum. They have inappropriately given so much to so many that they have lost their identity, their values/beliefs, and their purpose in the process. We call this co-dependency. Either way, we end up trying to play God and it just doesn’t work.
In CR we enter into a spiritual journey that changes us from takers to givers. The Apostle Paul describes this as a renewing of our minds, because we are spiritually transformed. I have had many a-newcomer tell me they feel guilty for taking up so much of our time, for being so selfish. In my response I tell them to relax, because it’s the way early recovery is. We all come in closed fisted, and only by Gods transforming work can we learn to open our hands, receive his blessings, and in time be willing to give back to a newcomer. (And to our families, friends, church, community as well.) It’s more like we should be thanking them for the opportunity to share what God has done in our lives, to share the Good News.
Some may be thinking about what my grandson will do when he opens up that letter in 2022. My hope and prayer is that through a continued legacy of giving and loving, he will read the words and smile. For there will be no surprise in the content, but rather the words will be an affirmation of what he has been living, a life that knows God and knows love.
The proof is in the pudding, and God sure makes good pudding.
On behalf of the CR TEAM, I want to thank all of you who helped out with our CR 6th year Birthday last Friday. It was an awesome God filled experience. What a legacy you are building for others!!
Have a great God filled week,
Dana
Celebrate Recovery/Crossroads Calendar
May 3-9, 2010
Monday: TEAM leader meeting from 5:30-7pm, Perkins Restaurant
Tuesday Night open share groups from 7-8pm. Women meet in room 141 and men in room 138.
Friday Large Group meeting: Join us at 7pm for great Worship and teaching. Dana will teach on Gratitude. Share groups at 8, Solid Rock at 9.
Saturday: CR Leader meeting in the Crossroads conference room from 10-Noon.