One summer, Bob Bartlett, an explorer, filled a boat with rare birds, put them in cages, and began to transport them to America. Somewhere in the Atlantic, the boat encountered rough water, and one of the birds got away. They watched the bird fly away to apparent “freedom.” But, several hours later, the bird came back. He couldn’t find any land, so he returned to the ship.
What had once been a prison was now the only way this bird could get across the ocean.
I have seen dozens of addicts declare themselves “free.” As a result, they abandoned their groups and their program. Eventually, they did one of two things. They either relapsed, or they returned to their “cage.” We welcomed them back to the group, where they continued the voyage with the rest of us.
God is all about freedom. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Make no mistake. That liberty is more about the journey than the destination.
Recovery Step: Don’t abandon ship. You need your group and your group needs you.
