For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭13

REFLECTION

There’s saved and then there’s saved.

It’s sometimes remarked in recovery that church will save your soul, and AA will save your butt.

It’s not a perfect analogy, but it drives home some important truths for the addict and alcoholic.

Often, we want to be prayed over and washed clean in a quick and orderly fashion. We even see this occur from time to time. Though we must admit we never see the aftereffects of those conversions in the weeks and months afterward.

Nonetheless, we are looking for a few things in the right places. But we leave out some key ingredients and some new places.

We show up to church with expectations and without a lot of willingness. We want the cure but don’t care for the medicine. We’re willing to take one round but simply don’t continue on our own.

It’s not that it doesn’t work. It’s just not as explicit as we need it to be. And therefore, we leave a lot on the table.

Thank God for dumbing things down, though. We arrive in AA to open doors and welcoming faces.

We are given the exact same medicine in a completely different format. And it’s broken down into bite sized chunks that a kindergartener could comprehend.

Baby steps.

This is what works best for the newly sober. Clear, simple, spiritual direction.

God, help me keep it simple and clear.