Addiction/Recovery
One of the dangers of living in bondage to your compulsive behaviors for a while is that you may see yourself as more bad than good. This all-or-nothing type of thinking in life is extreme. When you think this way, every thought—from how you view yourself to how you view other people—can be divided into black-or-white terms. This leaves little room, if any, for the gray areas in-between.
In recovery, this type of self-perception is dangerous because it is not a true view of yourself. You need to see that you aren’t all bad; neither are you all good. If not, it creates a cycle of anxiety, shame, and depression. Having a realistic view of yourself will help you better understand your shortcomings; if you fail, you won’t see it as final. By having a more balanced view of yourself, you can move forward in your recovery. (more…)
Life Issues
God has a plan to deal with that sense of lack in our lives. – Steve Arterburn
Do you feel empty? You’re not the only one. We all struggle with emptiness from time to time. In the Bible, even David struggled with loneliness and emptiness. He cried out to God, “Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress,” (Psalm 25:16, NLT).
Feelings of emptiness can give us a desire to turn to God as David did. But it becomes unhealthy when we turn to addiction to fill our emptiness.
Some people who struggle with codependency may turn to an unhealthy relationship in an attempt to fill the void in their lives, while others go shopping or binge on food to make themselves feel better. Still others turn to a bottle of pills or alcohol to numb their feelings of hopelessness.
No matter how hard your situation may seem, if you’re trying to fill the emptiness through unhealthy ways, you’ll relapse and things will get worse. To recover, you have to learn how to fill your inner emptiness in healthy ways. How? Here are a few tips to help you get started. (more…)
Life Issues
Shame is an emotional terrorist—it holds us hostage. – Steve Arterburn
Do you struggle with negative thoughts about yourself? Maybe you had a difficult childhood. Or, perhaps you were in an abusive relationship. And now you feel like you’re a prisoner to these negative beliefs. Shame, no doubt, is a very dangerous negative emotion—it will hold you in bondage and take away your freedom.
Your thought life determines the direction in which you live your life. The Bible puts it this way, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). (more…)
