Being “One of Those Kind” of People
Well, have you ever felt like the odd man out in your fellowship circles? Or have you felt like other believers thought less of you because you didn’t have your act together? I know how you feel!!
Recently I had the privilege to ministry at a Celebrate Recovery group in a little town in Missouri. The leader of the group saw my concert the night before and asked if I would come to her Celebrate Recovery group the following evening. I had never been to a Celebrate Recovery group before, but this seemed right up my alley, so I said yes. Little did I know the profound effect it would have on me. This little group of struggling believers were some of the most real and transparent people I have ever met.
At the beginning of their meeting, the worship leader shared how her church family saw dysfunctional people as being “one of those kinds of people” and how that attitude was a big deterrent for those wanting to be involved with Celebrate Recovery. This struck a painful code within me because this is exactly how I felt when I was going through my recovery process. Most of my Christian friends emotionally abandoned me as I forged my way through a six-month volunteer recovery program held at a Psychiatric Hospital. Even my pastor, thought therapy, even Christian therapy, was a worldly substitute for trusting in Christ and the truth of God’s Word. The old adage that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, the old passes away and all things become new”, was a truth that the enemy distorted and used to keep those in the body of Christ stuck in their dysfunction.
My path of recovery continued for five years in outpatient therapy. Yet when it came to my closest friends and those in my church, this topic was still off-limits. I felt alone and labeled as “one of those kinds of people.” God used this to ignite a passion in me to communicate to all who would listen that leaving the past behind is not forgetting about it…it’s facing it and dealing with it head-on. When we do, we allow God into all the pain and heartache that dysfunction creates so He can bring about healing and restoration to our lives.
Sitting there in that Celebrate Recovery meeting, I offered up a prayer of gratitude for “those kinds of people” and Celebrate Recovery. It blessed me beyond measure to be a part of something that was exposing the lie of leaving the past behind as well as providing support for those who were embracing the process of working through their past and present issues. The 12 Step Celebrate Recovery Program is not just about substance addiction, but it is for anyone who has hang-ups, hurts, and habits that keep them from living out their faith as a NEW CREATION. The group also provides one-on-one mentorship through the recovery process to create accountability and the encouragement they need for their journey.
I Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.”
Lord, help us to embrace our past pain and heartache and lay it at your feet. Only in You, will we have the courage and strength to face it, work through it, and allow You to heal us from the inside out. This is our testimony! In the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen!