“There’s no crying in baseball,” said Tom Hanks’ character (Jimmy) in the movie, A League of Their Own. Sadly, it’s not just baseball where people are encouraged to be strong and push their emotions down but in all areas of life.
For example, in recovery, help is a challenging word. Why? Most people see asking for help as a sign of weakness. The fear of the H-word goes back to the Garden of Eden. Adam told God, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so, I hid” (Genesis 3:10, NIV).
From the world’s perspective, a person who asks for help is weak. But from God’s perspective, a person who asks for help is brave—after all, they are courageous enough to admit they can’t make it on their own. Every person needs a mediator, and that mediator is Christ. It takes great courage and strength for a person to confess their actual condition. However, spiritually speaking, a person stuck in addiction to declare their need for help is to initiate the truth that will set them free.
One of the reasons why it’s hard to ask for help is because, in childhood, boys and girls learn to bury their emotions. When they become grown men and women, they still cover up their feelings and become self-contained rather than risk being humiliated. They have learned to ignore, deny, and minimize their feelings. In many aspects of their lives, they can get away with that strategy. But when it comes to an ongoing issue with addiction, they need the support of others.
Scriptures consistently point to the reality that everyone needs to ask for help. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Every person needs a Savior and can’t do it by themselves. Accepting that one is needy and must receive help from others is a spiritual reality; it is the beginning of freedom from addiction.
So many try to fight this battle with addiction on their own. But they only end up failing miserably over and over. Many men and women who have not overcome addiction admit to not having a vulnerable recovery group and sharing their struggles. Joining a Life Recovery Group can be how God leads a person back to the community and wholeness—no more being a lone ranger.
It may be humbling, but anyone can take steps to get help. They must reach out and utter the word HELP! A person stuck in addiction can come to Christ broken, or their addiction will break them. Either way, God will bring a person from addiction into a place of restoration and reconciliation with Him.
God invites a person to Himself when He says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
In other words, when someone reaches out and asks for help, they will find freedom! For help with getting connected to a licensed counselor, finding a treatment facility, or attending a New Life Workshop, call 800-NEW-LIFE.
by Sam Fraser