Lenten Devotional - Day 16

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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Lenten Devotional - Second Sunday in Lent

Scripture: Mark 9:33-37

"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." (Mark 9:37)

  I watched the mother and father push their newborn baby up and down the street in front of my home with loving care several times a week. I watched this baby grow from a toddler. This year she will be 11 years old. She is a beautiful girl, blue eyes and blonde hair. I don't see her much anymore. She is living with another family member and visits her mother once or twice a week. Her father died five years ago, from liver failure caused by alcohol abuse and her mother is very poor health caused by prescription drugs, alcohol, and methadone. Other family members on her mother's side are also addicted. I wonder what, this eleven-year-old girl is feeling and thinking as she watches her family waste away. I wonder how she feels when she hears from other kids that her mother is a drunken dope addict. I wonder if she will be able to overcome her traumatic childhood. We need to realize that she is not alone. There are other children growing up in similar situations.

  There are twenty million children in the U.S. that are suffering from parents that are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol (www.alcoholicsvictorious.org). Approximately thirty thousand babies born in the U.S. in 2016 were addicted upon birth and had to be in recovery immediately. They are referred to as NAS babies (www.marchofdimes.org)

  The burden of being yoked to addiction is that it wears out their soul. It drains their self-worth. They feel worthless and some people lead them to believe that they are worthless. Jesus wants to free them from the burdens of addictions. He wants to heal their soul, build their self-worth, and put them in peace with God. Jesus wants them to be yoked to him. “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

  What can we do as Christians? We must not judge. “Do not judge others........ Do not condemn others......... Forgive others.......” (Luke 6:37). We are to love others, not judge them. But you must be careful. Remember the driving force behind addictions is Satan. We cannot allow ourselves to be blind. “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” (Luke 6:39). Look for leaders who will teach you about faith and give you good guidance. Jesus doesn't want children treated as second-class, he took a child and put him amid them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:37). Children from addicted families are not easy to work with. They inherit the family attitude of “don't trust, don't feel, don't talk. Christians can help these children break these rules. They should do it in a Christ like manner to gain the children's trust. The children are normal children living in an atmosphere that is not normal. They are carrying heavy burdens.

Walter Maynard, Contributor

Remember in Prayer:  Children living in home with AOD dependent parents and relatives.

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