And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
- 2 Kings 5:10-12
Naaman was a leper, and there weren't really any diseases that were worse. Lepers were unclean. Because of the contagiousness of the disease people lost family and friends. They couldn't work. In most ancient societies lepers were exiled or made to live in camps away from clean society. Naaman was rich and powerful enough in Syria to do better than most in his position, but it was still a horrible disease that eats away at the body. So it's easy to understand the desperation that took him to the prophet of Israel in hopes of being healed. If it's bad enough, who wouldn't try anything? Who knows how many others things he had tried?
The prophet told him to go wash in the Jordan River seven times. That's it. He didn't have to give up riches. He didn't have to do something impossible or even difficult. But it wasn't what he expected or wanted. He wanted God to make a big show of His power. He wanted drama, wind machines and light effects, or at least a cleaner river to bathe in. He left in a huff, still sick. His servant talked him into just trying what was suggested. After all, it wasn't so horrible or hard. Naaman did as directed and was healed. You can read it all in 2 Kings 5:1-14, if you like.
Recovery is not nearly so horrible as leprosy, but it's up there. Addiction is a disease filled with destruction, loss and shame that leads to death. It can cost us everything, relationships and riches and health. There comes a point of desperation where we will try anything to be free of our bondage and to find healing and restoration. But will we?
Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and
what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to
any length to get it—then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we
could not.
- from Chapter 5; How It Works, Alcoholics Anonymous
Seriously? At some of these certain steps we balked? No this isn't what I expected or wanted. There has to be another way, an easier, softer way, a way that lets me hold on to running my own life. I want freedom and recovery, but on my own terms. Sorry. To try to find that is just to work a solution that doesn't cure the problem. Our addictions are symptoms, not the disease. If the spiritual malady is not cured, it is only a matter of time before whatever we try to treat the symptoms will fail.
Let us not lose our desperation and become angry when facing a simple solution that is not what we wanted or expected. Let us not balk at surrendering our will and lives to the care of the God who created us and has the power to set us free and give us a life worth living. Try it His way. After all, Daddy knows best, and it is His delight to bring you into relationship with Him and set you free. There are no more certain steps that lead to life than those directed by Daddy.
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