Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus itself. Ephesians 2:20
I was reading my devotions this morning and the topic was about belonging and I began to think about the community of those who have addictions. Feeling isolated is for many a huge trigger that fuels the addiction. No one gets me. No one understands. I feel so alone.Her topic was about family traditions and wouldn't it be great to start something new - something that can be passed down through the generations to remind our kids of where they belong.
We have some of those in our family - things like giving the kids $20 on vacations for them to spend any way they want OR to keep it at the end. This way, we don't hear "Can I get....." at every souvenir shop. Or attending a family retreat for families affected by disabilities the first week of August every year. Or getting slushies after bike rides with the kids.
BUT, in our house we have a tradition that is laced around the fabric called recovery too. When my husband quit his addiction a few years ago, he made a pact with a good friend. This pact is filled with actionable items to keep him accountable to God, to me, to our kids and friends and most of all himself. The words of the pact hang on our wall for everyone to read and each person signed it as well as a pastor that came to pray with us on this day. The tradition part is that every December right around the anniversary of the pact, our families get dressed up and go out for a meal to celebrate. We want to honor the men in our lives and the decision they made to be men of faith. Our children understand a little about what we are doing and my prayer is that as they grow older they will begin to see that we do in this one meal is so important and the importance of the decision their fathers made.
And so, I challenge you today. Traditions don't just have to be something that you think is outside of the recovery world - especially when fighting addiction is part of your world. Perhaps, it's time to start a new tradition. Have a great day and prayers for thinking about starting a new tradition.
