The Road To Recovery

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls Matthew 11: 28-29.

Do you sometimes feel tired and just plain burned out on life? I used to think that this feeling was just a symptom of getting older and logging time in the work environment. But I hear the same thing from young people who haven’t even made it through college yet. They perceive the pressures of life to be almost unbearable, and they don’t know how to handle it.

The world around us appears to be increasingly unstable. The traditional values that we treasure (even died for) are disrespected. Radical judges whose sole intent is to take God’s truth out are redefining the marriage institution, which was created and ordained by God. Some Christians blame marriage problems on gays, but homosexuals have nothing to do with the marriage problems in this nation.

The family is weak, single parent homes are on the rise, teens are confused, the male presence is absent, and the entertainment industry is perverted. And the church is not in a position to make a difference because they lost their vision a long time ago. They have no clear direction, and their allegiance is foggy.

Every time I look around, I find myself in a situation where I’m asking, "How am I going to make it". It is just an emotional response that comes up within me; not something that I would seriously consider taking to God. Because the truth is that I already know how I’m going to make it; the same way that I’ve been making it, that I made it yesterday, and that I hope to make it tomorrow. And that is to trust God to give me the grace and mercy I need. I can truly say without the least bit of hesitation that I am where I am today by the miraculous hand of God working in my life.

Jesus said, "I will give you rest". The Message bible says, "I will show you how to take a rest". If God has given us rest, then why don’t we have it? A better question is why are we missing it? Why are we failing to experience His peace in our mind and spirit? Why are we anxious and unable to maintain confidence in God?

Do we really believe that God is on control? Is He bigger than our problems? Yes, He is. The very fact that things are as well as they are with us is a witness to the power of God to protect and provide for us. We weren’t born in Sudan, Iraq, or in some remote village deep in the jungle. We may think we have a reason to complain, but we need to take a look around.

God is in control of every step we take. He has oversight over every event that comes our way; even the ones that stress us out. Our faith in His presence and power at work in our life will put us on the road to recovery. Instead of seeing our bank account low, we need to see our recovery. Instead of seeing our husband acting up and our disobedient kids, we need to see our recovery. Sure, there are high crimes and drugs in our neighborhoods, stress on our jobs and hypocrites in the churches, but Jesus said that He would show me how to take a rest while all these things are yet going on.

We can’t solve our problems on our own. We have one big need, and that is to realize that we have to rely on God. God loves us, and He knows where we are every second of the day. He is bigger and stronger than any challenge that life sends our way. He can take care of it. He can answer the mystery and solve the dilemma. The few resources that we have are just a drop in the bucket, because He has the entire universe at His command.

I don’t know about you, but based on my experiences and the challenging events in my life, I can tell you that God is in control. He will never leave us, turn His back on us, reject us or ever stop loving us. We may disobey Him and make a mess of things, but because of God’s faithfulness, we can recover.

God wants to show us that He delights in being our source of strength, provision, protection, and success. He has us covered from head to toe. That includes the present and future. Don’t worry about it; God has us covered.

If we are ever to recover, it is so important for us to solve the issue of control. This is vital because whoever is in control, that’s who we have to check with. That’s who we go through to get the verification or evidence we need. When our mind screams, "How are we going to make it", who has the control? Who can tell us which direction to go in or which course of action to pursue in regards to important issues we face? Only the One who has the control.

If we are that person, then it is easy to see why we get anxious and nervous. There is no way that we can control people, or the future, or circumstances, no matter how much our mind suggests that we can. We cannot. As long as we try to maintain control, we place ourselves in an unrealistic position. Our peace will leave us because we face an impossible task.

God has the control, not us. He has the influence, not us. He is the guide and we are the followers. Therefore, whatever we face, the One in control can handle it.

Don’t trust people with the control over you. They don’t have control over themselves. Don’t trust situations because they can change in a heartbeat. And no matter how smart or eloquent we are, we are going to make a mistake or be misunderstood.

God has the control, and as long as we understand that, we have a reason to hope and be full of confidence. We can move on in spite of the obstacles. We can recover all that we lost and move on. We can expect the best to come our way.

I’m expecting the best. I’m not facing the best, but I’m expecting the best. I’m faced with greed, corruption, anger, evil and treachery. But God is guiding my footsteps, and I’m expecting the best.

I’m on the road to recovery. Ever since that dreaded day in Eden, we all are recovering. We are all in the process of turning things around. I admit that I’ve been in a fight and have not always been wise. But I’m on the road to recovery.

I’m finding my identity that’s been hidden. I had been trying to be what others says I am, and they had me so messed up that I hadn’t been of much use to anybody. But I’m on the road to recovery.

When you make up your mind that you are on the road to health and peace, you can sure that the enemy will try and stop you. He will fight you every inch of the way. If you were in control, you would have reason to be concerned. But it’s out of your hands. God has it, and I believe that He is taking care of everything.

By: Edmund Brown