Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)
For some people, it is difficult to admit they were wrong; others have trouble making an apology. For me, the most difficult words are these: In the depths of his addiction my son stole something from me. Both money and sentimental items were gone, but they weren’t the really important issues. The loss of control over my life, the loss of trust in my child, fear for my son’s wellbeing, and the speed at which this new reality hit literally stunned me.
Most remnants of my pride were gone by the time I asked for help for my son. But there was still an elephant in the room. I could not bring myself to reach out to friends – people in our neighborhood, our congregation, and others close to my heart. Pride remained, battered but intact.
It was only when a friend reached out to me in her pain that I was able to break out of my self-imposed prison of silence. My friend’s child was addicted. I shared our story with her – the pain of discovery, the uncertainty of the treatment journey, and the joy of recovery – and I think we both received some measure of comfort from our conversations. We were able to put into words that our children are great gifts from God, and they are the treasures that we seek to protect – not our pride, not our community standing, not our checkbooks, and not the opinions of those around us who might not understand our journey. Acknowledging my fears and pride allowed me to then accept and examine my weakness. And I was reminded that “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5: 6) There I was, there was my son, and there are we all.
Once I gave up on the worry about how my loss of earthly treasures would be viewed, I joined my son in becoming a recovering addict – I still care too much about how others view me, my family and my child – but I walk each day with the faith that God’s view is different from ours. If my son can recover from his addiction to drugs, I can learn to live without pride.
Susan Perry, Contributor
Remember in Prayer: Mother, Fathers, and Grandparents who struggle to find peace as they face the addiction of one of their children.
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