One of the greatest thieves that we allow into our daily lives is that of addiction.  Some of you might read that word and want to skip to the next entry thinking it doesn’t apply to you.  I can guarantee it does.  Consider the following description of addiction (the best definition of addiction I have every read) by the author Gerald May from his book Addiction and Grace:

"I am convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire for God.  Whether we are consciously religious or not, this desire is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure.  It gives us meaning…addiction attaches desire, bonds, and enslaves the energy of desire to certain specific behaviors, things or people.  These objects of attachment become preoccupations and obsessions; they come to rule our lives." (May, 1 and 3)

May continues:

"The same processes that are responsible for addiction to alcohol and narcotics are also responsible for addictions to ideas, work, relationships, power, moods, fantasies, and an endless variety of other things.  We are all addicts in every sense of the word." (May, 4).

    Our addictions (or attachments as May describes) consume our energy, focus and time.   You may have never considered the idea that you have addictions, but I think that May makes a great case that addiction is a common human struggle.  Addiction consumes our time, turns priorities upside down, destroys our relationships, and leads us to behave in ways that are completely counter to what we truly want in life.

    It is easy to see how a lifetime can be lost to an addiction to pornography, alcohol, cocaine, opiates, etc.  But consider a more common addiction; busyness.  As my friend Chip Carmichael describes it, a good majority of Americans are going Mach 5 with their hair on fire in regards to how they live their lives.  Take for example the sales executive working 70 hours a week to maintain a certain standard of living, a mom taking three different kids to twenty different practices, a church member involved in countless church endless programs, a college students working fulltime and taking a full load of classes, or the weekend warrior who has to either play golf, fish, or “go do something” all the time in addition to the regular work week.  What all these individuals are usually “too busy” for are relationships (with God and others) and true relaxation.

    No matter what your addiction, you can break the attachments that keep you enslaved and steal your time from more fulfilling life experiences.  The first step to breaking addiction is to surrender your desires to God and truly recognize your need to change.  Next connect yourself to community and accountability.  If you struggle with any addiction, please contact us at www.olivercounseling.com and we can help you work towards true freedom in your life.