Stuck in the loop

The Secret of Recovery is Gratitude

Early in Bruce’s counseling career, one of his jobs at the inpatient treatment center he worked at was to take a group of people to a weekly AA meeting.

At one of the meetings one of the old-timers stood and introduced himself as a “grateful recovering alcoholic.” He proceeded to tell the group how all the junk and pain in his past had forced him to look at himself, challenge his beliefs and look for a new way of living. He went on to say that he now knew himself and felt good about himself in a way that probably wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t experienced the dark times.

At the time Bruce was in the midst of his own recovery journey. His struggle wasn’t with alcohol, but he said he felt like he was climbing out of the same dark pit this man talked about. He understood that part, but he had a difficult time grasping the grateful part. How could he, or that old guy, ever be grateful for the torment that had, for so long, been their lives?

Many years later, when Bruce was finally at a hard-fought place of freedom, the man’s words came back to him. But this time he had a new understanding of what the old-timer had been trying to say, because through all the ups and downs, he too had become glad for his struggles as he realized that they were the very thing that had brought him to freedom, satisfaction and, most of all peace within himself.

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. —Romans 5:2b-5