The Symptom and the Sign of Recovery

Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

INPUTS are symptoms and outputs are signs. Honesty is the input, against dissociation. Serving others is the output, against selfishness. Honesty is a symptom; only we, ourselves, can truly tell if we’re being honest. Serving others is a sign; others can very well see.

What’s my thesis for a heart actively engaged in recovery?

The person in genuine recovery sows honestly, and their heart reaps the desire to serve others.

Those with addiction problems frequently dissociate from themselves, and it leads to selfish and self-destructive behaviours. Indeed, all sin is dissociation; a turning away from ourselves and God. Addiction is sin absurdly out of control. The selfish cannot serve others, because their heart cannot imagine the beauty in trusting God for their needs to be met.

Those who engage in the abundant life know that a rigorous honesty ignites a heart for service.

The wisdom life, the heart after God, the abundant life, the narrow way of the road less travelled… all these are achieved in honesty within ourselves and through service outward of ourselves, both venerated on the sincerest wish to acknowledge our existence in God.

The person deep in their recovery journey has no satisfaction in compromise, complaint or comparison. They realise the urgency of their need of God, and their choice causes them to prosper through honest contemplation and the action of giving themselves away. Yet, they do not burn out, for they accept their limits and they don’t serve to their own detriment; they don’t crave to serve. Their honesty is primary. And their honesty creates in them an ability to see and negotiate, and at times accept, their weakness.

So, honesty, which is something between us and God, together with a heart to take responsibility to ensure others are served first, a service which is visible to others, are the symptom and sign of recovery.

An addict ceases to be an addict when they serve others consistently more often than they are served. They have abandoned their insistence on being served at the expense of others. Theirs is transformation from the prison of self to purpose in service.