Friday, December 11, 2009

Just for today

December 11, 2009- Last night we have a wonderful time in Recovery. I have heard many negative remarks concerning recovery in the christian walk, but those people make me laugh. I see on a daily basis people whose whole life has been wrecked by drugs, alcohol, or other bad choices, and recovery is a safe place for them to share their experiences and to have people around who share those same victories, as well as defeats. Recovery is NOT discounting what God can do, but recognizing that God is the only way!!! The problem is that along this walk we are not the only person who effects our process. We have people around us with agendas of their own, and sometimes these people can be very damaging to our walk. There is a great quote in recovery that says"Just for today". That is where we have to live.TODAY. Otherwise we get focused on either things we cannot change or dwelling on the past to the point that we forget to live in today and we miss the very important moments that God has placed us in. We miss things in the process that are essential to our growth. There is a great picture of this on the cross of Christ. Jesus hangs on the cross between two people. There is a thief on one side, and a thief on the other. What does a thief do? He steals? The thief on one side of Jesus asks "are you not the Christ? Save us and yourself" He appeals to the signs and wonders Jesus is known for in that day. He appeals to the past. Aren't you known as this Jesus the Christ? We have those kind of thieves in our lives as well. People who appeal to our past. They try to cause us to live in the past, and if they get their way, they steal our today from us. The thief on the other side does just the opposite. He appeals to the future. "Jesus, remember me WHEN You come into Your kingdom". He say remember me WHEN. He looks to the future and says when. Many times we are so caught up in what is going to happen tomorrow that we miss our today. But the cool part is that Jesus, in answering the mans request, says something profound. He says, "THIS DAY, you will be with me in paradise. Jesus is not affected by the thief on either the right or the left. He neither is pulled into the past or drawn to the future. Jesus stays in the day. THIS DAY! That is awesome. My prayer is that we live in the day. We can't let the thieves pull us to the right or to the left. We must live in the THIS DAY!

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