A four-year-old boy was eating an apple in the back seat of the car when he asked, “Daddy, why is my apple turning brown?”
“Because,” his dad explained, “after you ate the skin off, the meat of the apple came into contact with the air, which caused it to oxidize, thus changing its molecular structure and turning it into a different color.”
After a long silence, the boy responded. “Daddy, are you talking to me?”
Sometimes, we make life – and recovery – more difficult than is necessary. Focus on doing a few things well:
- Go to meetings.
- Work the 12 Steps.
- Pray the Serenity Prayer.
- Keep no secrets.
The four-year-old boy wanted a simple answer to his question. I suspect he would have like Jesus, who was definitely a proponent for simple speech. He said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no” (Matthew 5:37).
Recovery Step: Keep your recovery simple. Do a few things well.
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
