Dear student,
I’m writing this letter to remind you about the highs that exist inside the spiritual life. This relapse may be a good thing, or it might be a bad thing—depending on how you handle things moving forward. Currently, you are losing the battle to cravings. Your drug of choice has made its way onto the shelves of gas stations, making it easy for you to go get it whenever your brain calls for it. This may be your hardest test yet, student.
You’ve quit opiates before, but it seemed forced. Something sad happened that played on your senses, and it became easy for you not to go to the doctor’s office anymore. But does that mean you truly quit? Or have there always been some reservations that you could go back out and get away with experiencing the euphoric mood without having to seek after a spiritual experience? And now, the new mood is right around the corner at the gas station for you to go and get. It’s so easy to go get that good mood, but your life has gotten harder, hasn’t it, student? Basically, you aren’t as likeable because you aren’t carrying around God’s spiritual rays anymore; the substance is blocking you from the sunshine of the spirit, that same spirit that gives you the special ability to lead people to change.
This go-around, I’m giving you the opportunity to gain confidence in closing the door to all of your reservations. It appears that you have never given yourself wholly to this high adventure opportunity. Just think, student, you can walk around this life not having to chase a different mood or mindset. You can find yourself being completely content and accepting of the life that God has given you. No substances will ever have the chance to steal your free agency again. You need to go through this hard experience so that you can be more refined in the furnace of affliction in order to gain the competency necessary to be a true recovery coach for Jesus Christ. This is a huge opportunity that you can either take or reject.
It’s simple: the way of rejecting is to keep picking up and making excuses that you are different. The way to competency is to put your tools into play and seek after spiritual experiences that involve movement, scenery, service, and beautiful conversations. As you start stringing together weeks and months, your story will begin to evolve and change; and you will have a new experience to tell others who need your spiritual rays so that they too can experience the highs of Jesus Christ.
But student, it starts right now. You are minute to minute at this stage. And then that minute to minute will move to one day at a time. The heat will hurt in the beginning, and your brain will be filled with doubt and fear. But just remember: breathtaking vistas into the kind mind await after you travel the hot path through the fiery furnace. Eventually, God’s spirit will be loosed, and those cravings will have no power over you. This experience is your opportunity to become truly free in this life.
I love you, student. I’m so proud of you.
Your truest friend,
The Holy Ghost
