For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬

At the start of an adventure we can be filled with anticipation or dread. We can look ahead with eager wonder or with forlorn dismissal.

At the beginning of our recovery, things are often not cheery. We have gotten to the very end of a chapter we hope to not revisit. And getting to the starting line has been a marathon in itself.

We are depleted. How on earth are we supposed to feel good about being at square one?

What we want is a breather. Some kind of recharge that we can get the energy to continue from. The idea of starting a new race is nauseating.

We are shown the spiritual toolkit consisting of prayer, meditation, fellowship and service work. We were hoping for a quick cure-all pill.

We are shown some of the steps we’ll be suggested to take consisting of God, confession and amends. We were hoping to bury our former life.

We are told that we have a daily reprieve contingent on our spiritual condition. We were hoping to feel better before talking about God.

But we also see something important. We see the light in the eyes of those who have recovered and are now sharing their own experiences with us. We hear our own stories retold with slightly different details.

And we can’t help but sense that they aren’t full of crap. They’ve got a spiritual gravity about them that isn’t off putting at all.

As we invite the truth in we are given strength for the day. We cannot fathom the lifetime ahead, but the 24 hours in front of us become manageable.

The life-changing and purpose-filled fact that we do have a purpose gives us wings. Yes, we’ve fallen hard. Yes, we took many wrong turns to get to this right one. Yes, we are broken. But we are all going to break. Only the willing will choose to let that brokenness be used for good.

He still has a plan for us.

God, show me the next steps.