Every time we start a new sexual addiction recovery group we are reminded anew of the heartbreak of addiction. Just minutes into the first session we usually pose the question, “Why is this a good time for you to start looking at this issue in a deeper way?” The stories that follow are gut-wrenching. Participants tell of repeated failures, marriages that are in shambles, money and time that has been wasted, the intense loneliness of living a double life, and, in some cases, lost jobs or other dire consequences. So much sadness…so much shame…so much anger.
Addiction sucks the joy out of life. For many that sucking started as early as nine or ten years old. It stole their innocence and retarded their growth in some areas. Others got a taste of normalcy, only to have it snatched away in college or early adulthood. And some unknowingly began parceling their life off to this thief later in life long after “they should have known better.” But, regardless of when it started, given enough time, everyone ends up in the same place—standing on the outside of their life, watching themselves go through the motions of living. The spark is gone. The compartment they live in gets tighter and tighter and they unwillingly join the rest of the walking dead.
But Jesus came so we could have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). There is no expiration date on that offer. There is no fine print. There are no limitations. It is available to ALL of us.
There is a cost. We have to take a risk. We have to let God into the places that we have walled off from him and give up trying so desperately to go it alone.
It may be hard. It may be scary. But this is, most certainly, the deal of the century. We get to trade our broken, nearly life-less existence for serenity, purpose, and yes . . . joy.
“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”— Job 8:21
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