By Dustin Hawkins
First, we need to start being creative in order to deal with the cravings. We must create new memories that will outshine the bad memories. We can’t be afraid to throw on our headphones and go jogging in a unique place that is full of scenery, where we switch back and forth from jogging listening to music, to then walking listening to an audiobook. The combination of exercise, scenery, uplifting music, and the word of God will change our mind frame to one that is now full of gratitude, peace, and serenity.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference” (Alcoholic Anonymous).
We can’t be afraid to go to the local high school track to run sprints, work on prayer, do some reading under the shade of a tree, and further “meditate upon these things” (1 Timothy 4:15), even thanking God for giving us the courage to make such an experience happen. We can’t be afraid to turn up the intensity of our experiences so that our angers and frustrations can be replaced by the discomfort of burning lungs, legs, and a highly elevated heart rate. We can’t be afraid to reach the point of failure and exhaustion, because afterward we will be proud of ourselves for our intense efforts, and our dark mind will be replaced with “the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct [us]” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Walking is important as well, since running and being intense aren’t always appropriate. Going for a 60-minute walk while listening to the word of God and then uplifting music can do so much for our soul. Walking in quiet, beautiful places during the early morning or just before dark does something to our eyes and mind that is indescribable. Those moments are when we can find the most gratitude for scenery and the beautiful world we live in, which then will lead us to further gratitude for God and our family. After all, walks with our families are a great form of spiritual work.
Christ, after feeding the five thousand, went on a walk and “departed again into a mountain himself alone” (John 6:15). Even the Son of God needed some time away from the multitudes of people to work on His relationship with His Father in Heaven. Likewise, we need to create walking experiences for ourselves in unique and beautiful places so that we, too, can work on our relationship with God. And if we do these walks consistently, nostalgia can be very useful. By seeking after past spiritual experiences, one may develop a better understanding of what God is trying to do with them in the School of Addiction.
