Thursday was St. Patrick’s Day. I was going to post this status on my social media platforms: If there is indeed a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I hope you find it!
And then it hit me…no, I don’t! Nor do I hope you win the lottery, hit the jackpot or find any such instant gratification. Not because I don’t care about you, but because I do.
Last week I was sitting in a meeting listening to a retired doctor speak, mainly about addictions and recovery. He is a well known speaker on such topics, especially about alcoholism. He said something that stuck with me. He said he gets this question a lot: “Will there ever be a cure for alcoholism?”. His answer went a little something like this, “Yes, there will be, but not in my lifetime, thank the good Lord”. He went on talking like he didn’t just say one of the most profound things I have heard in a while.
That was such an interesting remark to me. It had me thinking and praying, and as I was walking from the room it dawned on me why. If you could take a magic pill to be cured from addictions, or drink the healing serum, or undergo the fix-me surgery (which is the most-likely scenario–replacing the addiction gene with a healthy one) there would be no growth, no need for a higher power or occurrence of a vital spiritual experience. The world today, as painful as it is for so many people, well, it’s exactly as God planned it.
Exactly.
And if you don’t believe that then read Psalm 139 in the Bible.
Would some people benefit from an instant solution? Absolutely. Would it be long term? Probably not, because recovery of any kind is a spiritual thing.
Life is spiritual.
Pain is spiritual.
Growth is spiritual.
Recovery is spiritual.
There is a connection with pain and growth.
“No pain, no gain.” There is way more depth to that slogan than meets the eye.
Are you looking for the pot of gold? The fairy dust? The magic wand?
Do yourself a favor and STOP!
It’s so very important to experience the journey.
The day.
The moment.
It’s so very important to experience the pain, because without the pain you will never truly see the need for a power greater then yourself. And if you never come to this point of desperately needing a higher power, you will never experience God in all of His fullness.
There is beauty in trusting the journey.
That’s where the growth is.
That is what spirituality is all about, not a pot of gold.
A fantastic post to start my afternoon with! Thank you for sharing this.
Cassie Jahn recently posted…Minimalist Decluttering Challenge Update: Days 1-6
Yes. We all should experience pain in order to grow.
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