Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Addictions


As I was reading today and rewriting 1 Timothy (don’t judge me, I read and paraphrase in my own words so I process through it – pretty handy technique to help me remember), I was expounding some of my thoughts on the qualifications for an overseer and deacon. Why are these things here? Is it a checklist? No. They’re things that are important to have in your character so that you best represent Christ and so that you’re not distracted and others aren’t distracted by you. They listed “not addicted to much wife, not greedy for dishonest gain” “sober-minded and not slanderers” along with some other things. But I started to realize, we work as addicts. One was “not a lover of money.” I looked at this one and saw that money isn’t bad but it’s to what end do you chase it down. Why this is important is because your focus is not on people and what they need, but your end result looking throughout your day is how to get more money. You won’t care for the poor and powerless, you’ll care for the rich and their money.

I started to realize that in the same way that we look at the dirty addictions -meth, cocaine, alcohol- the slightly more hidden addictions -pornography, masturbation, anorexia, bulimia – and the culturally accepted addictions – working out, how you look, how you compare to others in the room, wanting to be wealthy and famous, being “boy-crazy” or “girl-crazy”, wanting better adrenaline rush, and so on. You may argue, “well those aren’t addictions” but I would disagree.  I’ve dealt with addictions before, I’ve talked to other people, and I’ve analyzed and probably overanalyzed my behavior to find the result.

An addiction is something that you don’t have to think about, but your natural response is to seek after how to get more of it. Your reasoning becomes skewed and you begin to elevate whatever this thing is above all other things. It’s your longing, your place you go to when you space out, your I’ll give up change plans for this thing. I’ve done and seen people do things that just don’t make any sense, but their focus is on getting that addiction, that substance, that image, that feeling, that look, that high, that whatever. The problem with an addiction is it’s never enough. I mean, this time it is but it always leaves you wanting more and more and more. Eventually, people are losing their house, selling their stuff, losing family members, and everything else to get more of what they need.

Funny how it works out that Love and Addiction are so close together. Love is seen as a good thing. Addiction is bad. Re-read through the last paragraph but consider it to be love rather than addiction.
I propose every addiction is a misguided and much weaker version of a greater Love. How do you get over an addiction, by replacing it with something else. Rather than replacing an addiction with an addiction (a weak form of love for another weak form of love), perhaps we should consider a greater form of Love. Don’t check out yet. Consider the fact that Jesus is addicting. He’ll make you sell your house, leave your family, give up your habits, an quit your job as you follow Him, to get more of Him.

At a quick glance they look the same, but they’re not. An addiction is usually harmful to you, your health, and your relationships long term. It could be socially harmful (judgmentalism, comparing others, always trying to prove yourself), spiritually harmful (getting involved in other things, searching for value in things or approval, looking for respect in those who can’t give it) and physically harmful (eating disorders, weight loss, digestional issues, memory loss, brain damage). But Jesus is long-term improving. Your relationships have more love, honor, and respect in them, your find value in who He says you are and give value that way, you have life beyond this one, and enjoy this one to the fullest, and you take care of your body better, eat right, and do the right amount of exercise. Addicts think they’re life is pretty good and they’re “happy” but people on the outside don’t want it and know it’s not true. People who really have Jesus think they’re “happy” AND people on the outside know it and want it too. Jesus is the best addiction. He’s the better addiction. His driving force is Love not a high, certain value, or image – although you get all of those things with Love. Jesus – the best addiction possible.

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