Why Faith Matters
For years, I had contact with God.
I talked to Him when I needed something. I prayed when I really wanted something. And He was good to me. Looking back, I can see the places He guided me when I allowed Him to, the places He put me because He knew I needed to be there, and even the places He sought me out when I was somewhere I never should have been.
But there is a difference between having contact with God and living in relationship with Him.
I thirst for what He has to offer. When I remain close to Him, my path becomes clearer. When I wander toward what I want, what my flesh wants, things begin to feel dim again.
That is why I never want to confuse religion with relationship.
Jesus wasn’t simply a religious idea or a set of rules to follow. He came to us fully God and fully human. He understands our humanity, our weakness, our pain and our brokenness. And because of what He did on the cross, I don’t have to hide from God because of who I was or what I’ve done.
I can approach His throne humbly and boldly.
I can live in the freedom Jesus purchased for me.
There are no strings attached to His grace.
Recovery taught me that I needed a power greater than myself who could restore me. Faith taught me who He is.
Faith doesn’t mean I understand everything God is doing. Sometimes faith is:
Hope in Him means binding and weaving my life to the strength of the One who loves me, who paid my ransom, and who can carry what I cannot carry on my own.
It doesn’t mean life suddenly becomes easy. It means I no longer have to walk through it alone.
My faith cannot simply be something I believe. It has to affect how I live.
Jesus commanded me to love others as He has loved me and to forgive others as I have been forgiven.
He didn’t tell me to love only people who believe what I believe.
He didn’t tell me to love only people who have their lives together.
He didn’t tell me to love only people who are sober, religious, easy to help, or able to give something back.
So that is what I want The Rehab Lady to do.
I want the light of His love to be visible in the way we treat people. In the way we walk the streets. In the way we respond to someone still using drugs. In the way we sit beside someone who has relapsed. In the way we welcome someone coming home from jail. In the way we offer naloxone, resources, prayer, a ride, a conversation, or simply our presence.
You do not have to believe what we believe for us to believe in you.
Our faith is never a requirement for receiving our help.
It is the reason we give it.
I am still imperfect. There are days when loving and forgiving others is harder than I want to admit. There are days when my own strength simply isn’t enough.
But Scripture reminds me that His strength is made perfect in weakness.
So I keep returning to Him.
And as long as I am able, I will keep going out. I will walk the streets. I will sit with people. I will listen to their stories. I will love people created in His image who may have forgotten their worth.
And hopefully, through something as simple as another person being willing to show up, they will be reminded of this:
He sees you in addiction.
He sees you in recovery.
He sees you in jail.
He sees you in the streets.
He sees you in your shame, your grief, your fear and your uncertainty.
You have not wandered beyond His sight.
And you have not wandered beyond His love.
The Rehab Lady