Last Tuesday we handed out two anniversary Chips; a two year and a six year. One week before that we handed out two 30 day chips. Although the amount of time in recovery differs immensely, the measure of joy is the same. The recipients of those chips represent accomplishment, hope and desire. The desire comes from a deep yearning for change. Change from the hurting person they were as they walked across the parking lot for the first time to the person God meant them to be. As CR Leader's we are blessed to be witnesses to the beginning of that transformation. It never fails; as the anniversary chips and hugs are being exchanged I'm reminded of the person that walked through the door to Celebrate Recovery some days or years ago. Brokenness comes to mind as they enter, but now Unbreakable shows in their walk and stature as they collect their small trophy of accomplishment. I'm always moved when I see that the God we serve loves us so much He would send his son to die for our sins John 3:16, heal our hurts so we can live life to its fullest John 10:10 and then stop to watch his children receive a token of hard work. That's right ..hard work, the road to recovery can be hard at times. Yes, God does help us, He empowers us and He will do all he can do. Simply put though, God's part we can not do our part He will not do. What we need to do is continue to make good choices. And there are many ways to encourage ourselves to make good choices and one of those ways is to set short goals, goals that you can reach. Goals like 24 hours of sobriety (how ever sobriety looks like to you in your area of struggle). Then work towards 1 week, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days then 6 months and so on. Recovery by the yard is hard but recovery by the inch is a cinch. Take small bites. Another way to gain encouragement is to build accountability teams. Accountability partners encourage and they should and will ask how you're doing in certain areas of your recovery. This is important because for some of us letting ourselves down stinks but if we were to let others down it would be very humbling. I do all I can to stay as far away from that situation as possible. A third way to help you on the road to recovery is to give back. Giving back could be ...well it is the deed of encouraging others. So how can you bring about all these things? By accomplishing your next goal, whether its 30 days or six years and when you do let every one know about it. Jesus said go and tell your family how much the Lord has done for you Mark 5:19. Receiving your chip shows that you care about your own recovery and the others around you, don't be bashful; tell the world. You've made some good choices and have battled to make it to your goal. By receiving your chip you will gain many accountability partners to encourage you to the next goal you set. And by the way, because you received your chip you also gave back, you gave hope to a new comer. You may never know how many lives were changed because you chose to share your victory. So go get your chip, you deserve it! The joy that comes with receiving your first chip will remain the same as you receive the chips that follow. Check it out, I dare you.
I have one more piece of advice, a lot of people (or just me) lose track of how many days they have under their belt or they forget their anniversary date. That's why journaling is so important. You can review your journal for dates and anniversaries. Once you have your beginning date you'll never forget if you do one more thing. I start my journaling with today's date followed by two numbers the first is how many days its been since I last surfed the web in dangerous waters and the other is for the day I last drank alcohol. Every day I journal I add another day to my tally. This in its own way is added encouragement. For the same reason I said above about accountability partners, it would be very humbling to start back at day one if I fell into sin in one of those two areas. I hope that helps in your recovery.
Be Blessed and CELEBRATE your Recovery,
Darren and Sandy
