The Silent Suffering
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.:Recovery:.
When you are having a difficult time, remember...
Recovery is a process, not an event.
Everyone struggles. NO ONE IS PERFECT. The voice of ED can be very powerful, so you are going to have ups and downs. Don't get discouraged if you are having a difficult day. And, even if you slip up, each day is a new opportunity.
"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." [Psalm 118:24]
The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
Therefore I have hope in Him."
[Lamentations 3:22-24]
NEVER GIVE UP.
YOUR LIFE IS WORTH LIVING.
YOU ARE WORTH IT.
Why?
YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN AND OUT OF HOSPITALS.
because you could die.
Because there are people in your life who love you.
Because you're worth it. Do it for you.
Because God has given you life!
Because ED only wants to bind, destroy, and kill you.
Because with ED, you'll never truly be happy.
Because you are missing out on your life
Because eating disorders are serious. They are deadly. They are painful.
Because you have a purpose and calling.
Because ED will only hold you back from everything you want.
If you're struggling, DON'T GET DISCOURAGED! Recovery is about progress, not perfection. If you fall down, stand right back up! There will be difficult days, but you are going to make it. Keep pressing forward. A bad day does not constitute a relapse. We are not held to a standard of perfection by God, so why be held to it by ourselves/others? God is there to walk beside you, guide your path, and pick you up when you stumble. No matter what, KEEP PRESSING FORWARD.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
[-Isaiah 40:28-31
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 3:13-14
The Twelve Steps and their Biblical comparisons (taken from the Celebrate Recovery Program)
Celebrate Recovery teaches the Twelve Steps by relating them with Biblical verses.
1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors. That our lives had become unmanageable. (Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.)
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. (Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.)
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. (Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.)
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. (Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.)
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. (James 5:16a Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.)
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. (James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.)
7. Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings. (1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.)
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. (Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.)
9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. (Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.)
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. (1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!)
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out. (Colossians 3:16a Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.)
12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all our affairs. (Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.)
Eight Recovery Principles based on the Beatitudes
Saddleback Church (where Celebrate Recovery originated) Senior Pastor Rick Warren devised a set of Principles based on the Beatitudes.
1. Realize I'm not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable. "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor"
2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover. "Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted"
3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control. "Happy are the meek"
4. Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust. "Happy are the pure in heart"
5. Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires"
6. Evaluate all my relationships; Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I've done to others except when to do so would harm them or others. "Happy are the merciful" "Happy are the peacemakers"
7. Reserve a daily time with God for self examination, Bible readings and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
8. Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words. "Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires"
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