Be ready to pivot

 

In my addiction recovery journey, I have learned the ability to pivot when I feel inspired by the Holy Ghost to do something. This ability to pivot is essential to not only addiction recovery but to life in general. A favorite example of mine in the scriptures is about the man, Gideon. A disciple of God, Gideon was called upon to lead an army against the Midianites. After gathering a powerful army, Gideon was told that he needed to reduce his force. After two trials, Gideon’s force of ten’s of thousands was reduced to 300 men. Why did the Lord reduce Gideon’s numbers? The Lord taught Gideon that he reduced the force to show that he, the Great Jehovah, was responsible for the victory. (Judges 7)

Being able to pivot is an act of faith and trust in Christ. I learned this the hard way many times. I recall many times in my life when I felt prompted to avoid a situation. The situation wasn’t sexual in nature but it was dangerous. He is how those situations usually played out. I would feel a prompting about a situation, I would ignore the prompting, the situation would trigger me, and I would ultimately relapse after white-knuckling for a space of time. It always played out the same way.

Now, let me share an example that went a different way. In 2021 I was working on a major project with my company for a major client in the Eastern United States. The request was a difficult one and required several meetings and input from subject matter experts on the topic. As I worked with one such subject matter expert, we came across a solution that did exactly what our client had asked for. I was ecstatic! I felt so proud of my accomplishment and I wanted to celebrate. This sense of joy and elation triggered me. In the past, I had celebrated such victories with relapsing. After feeling the trigger, I felt a prompting to reach out to the following individuals: my girlfriend (who later became my wife!), my father, my mother, my sponsor, trusted friends, and God through prayer.

Knowing where the prompting came from and who sent the prompting, I fell to my knees. I gave thanks to my God for the success and inspiration. After my prayer, I called my girlfriend. I told her of my success and of my trigger. I called my father and mother who both celebrated with me. I talked to my sponsor who let me know that he had experienced similar triggers in his past. My sponsor then told me he was proud of my success and even more so of my willingness to reach out. My trusted friends were all too excited to celebrate. One such friend, who I am deeply grateful for, suggested I get out of the house and get a treat for my success - which I did (I got a Mountain Dew and a Snickers bar!).

I am a firm believer that being able to pivot is a sign of faith and trust in Christ. I know that God will never lead us astray and is always reaching out in some fashion. It just becomes our responsibility to recognize when we are being taught and how we are being taught.