If you have loved one with an addiction, you already know that journey is a roller coaster ride for all involved. It doesn’t take much for the darkness of addiction to invade even the best of days. Complete peace only comes once sustained recovery and continued healing is in place. For many, that desired reality seems all too elusive right now.
While I have found my peace in the middle of the mess, there is a lingering reality that there is battle going on in someone else’s camp – my son’s. I have shared in earlier blogs, that I have found peace and comfort in God’s promise and guidance. This is quite true. But, there are times where that peace is interrupted by the reality that somewhere, in some way my son is struggling with his addiction. Thankfully, I can return to that place of peace and clarity through prayerful meditation and God’s loving encouragement.
Last week, my wife and I were talking about verses that give us comfort and inspiration in difficult times. One of my wife’s favorite verses was this one in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 New King James Version NKJV)
God brings about difficult challenges to develop us, strengthen us and mold us. While he is willing to break us in order to have us turn to him, his promise is that he will never give us more than we are able to handle. He has also committed to provide us a path through our most difficult challenges.
This can be a powerful, comforting promise. God is not trying to destroy us, he using this adversity to bring us closer to his word and his love. Since he also knows we have no way of knowing how to deal with it, he has promised to provide us with the instruction to get through it.
Recently I sat through a presentation where the speaker turned this verse around and declared that God never gives us more than he can handle. Like a little child comes running to a parent when they fall down and skin their knees, God is here for us when we call on him in our darkest, most painful moments. We are not alone, we cannot do it alone, and he will always be with us to support and encourage us when we run to him and submit to his instructions of help and guidance.
“You cannot find peace in the middle of the war; peacetime only comes after the war is over.” Now that you are in the middle of life’s most difficult struggles, bring God your battle. He knows how to win this war, has a plan for your victory and knows when and how it will end. Look to him, lean on him, listen to him and stay strong and focused. When it is time for peace, he will deliver it to you.
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Is your child addicted to drugs or alcohol? Are you trapped on the emotional rollercoaster of addiction? Dave Cooke can help. He’s an internationally recognized speaker who has made it his commitment to minister to parents struggling with addiction in their families. Let him share with you how to create an action plan that will move you, your family, and your addicted child in a healthier direction.
Contact Dave today to book him to speak at your church, parent’s group, business organization, or neighborhood association. Go to http://www.100pedals.com/speaker-dave-cooke/ for more information or email [email protected].
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