Your recovery won’t go very far or deep if you only stay sober when it’s easy. It’s what you do when it’s hard that puts points on the board. Until you are tested – really tested – you won’t know if you are really sober.
Jack Hayford had a lot to say about spiritual growth and life transformation. He summarized it with four words: “Make decisions against yourself.”
Jesus called this “taking up your cross daily” (Luke 9:23).
At the time Jesus said this, a cross was not a cute piece of jewelry to be worn around your neck. It was a brutal object of death. Jesus is saying that we are to die to ourselves, and our desires – every single day. We are to make decisions against ourselves.
For the addict, that means doing several things, especially when we don’t want to.
- Get off social media.
- Put your phone down after 10 pm.
- Get on Covenant Eyes.
- Quit all fantasy.
- Don’t carry cash.
- Check in each day.
Recovery Step: Create your own list. Do something that’s not easy in recovery. Decide against yourself.
