Life Recovery Step 9: Make Direct Amends

Addiction/Recovery

Life Recovery Step 9: Make Direct AmendsTired of living in the shadow of yesterday’s mistakes? It’s not too late to go back and try to make amends.

One Bible story that teaches it’s never too late to make amends is the story of David and Jonathan—one of the most outstanding examples of friendship in history.

David and Jonathan were the best of friends despite the worst of circumstances. Saul, Jonathan’s father, was one of the most demanding challenges facing them. He ruthlessly hunted David and tried to kill him for years.Yet, Jonathan’s love for David was strong and didn’t diminish. So, Jonathan told him “Don’t ever withdraw your kindness from my household” (1 Samuel 20:14, CSB). As a result, David agreed and promised to show kindness to Jonathan’s family—including his descendants.

But David did not follow through as he had promised. (more…)

The Paralysis of Perfectionism

Life Issues

The Paralysis of Perfectionism“We don’t always have to be strong or pretend to be perfect.” – Steve Arterburn

Perfectionism and addiction go hand in hand. Those of us who struggle with addiction can be extremely hard on ourselves. We don’t give ourselves any room for mistakes, and it’s easy for us to procrastinate or give up because we’re afraid of not being good enough.

When things don’t go perfectly as planned, some of us use it as an excuse to go back to addiction. (more…)