You can’t do it alone

The New Testament is filled with the amazing miracles of Jesus. One such miracle is when Jesus healed a man with palsy. Luke records, “And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.” (Luke 5:18-19) What I love about this story is those who were helping the man with palsy did whatever they could to bring the man with palsy to Jesus. We don’t know much about the man with palsy, but I like to think the man with palsy asked for help. Hearing about Jesus he probably gathered his friends together in the hopes of seeing Jesus. His friends, who also heard about Jesus, were equally as excited to bring the man with palsy to Jesus.

Luke continues, “And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” (Luke 5:20) Then Jesus went a step further, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.” (Luke 5:24) Luke’s record makes it very clear that Jesus saw ‘their faith’. Jesus saw the faith in the man with palsy, and those who were bringing him. Being moved by so much faith, Jesus, with so much love, forgave and healed the man with palsy.

I have come to love this miracle! As an addict, I can sympathize with the man with palsy. I didn’t know where to go to find Christ when I realized I needed help. I just knew Christ could heal me. Individuals like my wife, parents, siblings, friends, and religious leaders helped me find Christ. They each walked with me to the Savior, Jesus Christ. They helped me find Christ and sobriety. Each one played a vital role in helping me find sobriety. Looking back, it’s easy to see how I truly was blind to where Christ was. He was always right in front of me, but my addiction blinded me. It took loving support for me to truly find Christ.

My plea is for you not to go on your addiction recovery journey by yourself. You will need support. Reach out to those you trust and explain your addiction. Ask them for help and you want to find Christ. I promise those who are true believers in Christ will provide loving support during your journey. I promise you will find so much love and hope because of those who support you. I promise that you will find Christ as you seek out support on your addiction recovery journey.

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