Ladders come in a variety of heights–6 foot, 12 foot, 24 foot, goodness–probably any size a person might care to make or purchase! Depending on the job at hand, the right size ladder may be necessary in order to get a task accomplished. Personally, I am not a fan of tall ladders and feel my best standing on solid ground or using a step stool for things that don’t require a lot of height. Why talk about ladders this week? In the 12 step program I’ve been writing about, we have reached the middle of our ladder if there are 12 rungs. This week I am focusing on Step 6 which says: “We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character”. The scripture that tags this step is from James 4: 10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

I’ve been around a lot of people over the course of my adult years and I can safely say I’ve met my share of men and women who struggle with humility. I’ve witnessed power struggles in the workplace as well in social circles. Part of our human nature exposes those individuals who want to be in control, using pride and selfish gain to maintain a sense of “being in charge” or “complete control”. 

By the time a person who is working on recovery gets to Step 6 the hope is that self awareness settles in to realize 1) we aren’t in total control of our lives and 2) we are “all in” to allow God to do major surgery to remove flaws in our character. Much like open heart surgery, the process will be painful, sin and habit patterns will be discovered buried deep within our minds and spirit, but precisely as a surgeon’s hands work to remove cancer from a person’s body, so it is with God. He guides His hands to lovingly and skillfully remove cancerous thoughts, habits, and destructive coping mechanisms from us. The key is we “have” to be ready. Anyone going into a surgery or medical procedure knows there will be preparation which is only temporary. Recovery participants also get ready for Step 6 by climbing the previous five rungs on their ladder which is completion of Steps 1 through 5. 

More than we desire, at Celebrate Recovery we see people come to our meeting for the first time; they are excited to learn how to overcome an addiction or destructive behavior and declare “I’m ready!” accompanied by a promise “I’ll be back!” “This is exactly what I need!” Sadly, most will return for about 4 to 6 weeks and never return. It seems our human nature that tells us to look for a “quick fix” takes control over the realization that truly changing, sincerely desiring a healthier lifestyle takes hard work which cannot be accomplished overnight or in a few weekly meetings. When this happens it’s the leadership’s intentions not to judge or criticize. Why? Because that’s what I did.

In the mid 2000’s I went to Celebrate Recovery to work on anger. I attended six weeks and dropped out because I thought I  had cured my problem. I had begun to feel better and build new ways to respond to my anger. Then, in 2016, life had thrown some hard curve balls over a three year period and I went back and have not missed many meetings unless of vacation or illness. I was ready and taking a look at my life now all the way back to the previous years leading into 2016, I am very thankful and proud of my diligence to invest “my” time every week to be part of a group that welcomes me–flaws and all–(until removed!)

One of my favorite concepts that is taught by my pastors is how Jesus doesn’t wait for us to get our act together before choosing to attend church or asking to be in relationship with Him. On the contrary, He wants “all” to come to Him regardless of circumstances that keep us from Him. Celebrate Recovery is the same. Do you use alcohol or drugs to cope with life? Do you overeat because it’s a temporary salve to soothe unwelcome emotions? Do you verbally or physically abuse your loved ones? Do you have a gambling addiction? Do you struggle with sexual integrity? Do you wonder why you are angry and unable to determine why? If you can answer yes to these or anything else that is keeping you living an empty life, Celebrate Recovery is a great place to begin investigating the “whys” behind your actions and choices for coping, learn how to repair broken relationships. 

We won’t have you climb tall ladders. You don’t have to jump through any hoops. You don’t even have to believe God exists and loves you. But, in our ministry we do and will always point to Jesus Christ as the only one who can truly promote healing from all that ails you. If that’s a concept you’re ready for, if that’s the kind of ultimate surgery you want, then there’s no preparation for that undertaking other than driving to our meeting, parking your car, and walking into a group of people ready to climb your ladder of healing with you. 

We meet every Tuesday, 7 pm, at Fowlerville United Brethren Church. All meetings are safe and wrapped in confidentiality. We have a wonderful group of people who are willing and always enthusiastic to “help lift you up” from all the burdens of life.