Lessons from recovery

It was Friday, Sept. 1, 1989, Labor Day Weekend. And it was a significant day for me.

It was on that day that I decided to accept the advice of a friend and abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages “for a while.” My marriage was ending. I was a single dad with two teen boys. I was having a difficult time sorting through what actions to take and when to begin.

The decision I made then changed the course of my history. I celebrated 28 years of sobriety this month.

I live in Texas. My community is reeling from the aftermath of hurricane Harvey. The storm flooded thousands of homes. Many are uninhabitable. Temporary housing is full. There are no rental cars. Tow trucks are unavailable for weeks. Faith communities and the general public are providing much-needed help, but the destruction is overwhelming.

The situation seems impossible.

First things first

Thanks to my years in addiction recovery, I have learned lessons that apply to all of us in the process of restoration and recovery.

I had no idea what the decision I made many years ago would mean to me, my family or to God’s Kingdom. Applying a principle learned from recovery groups, I have learned to do first things first.

In this current situation, the first thing we want to do is to look around and feel sorry for ourselves, our neighbors and our community. When we can remember to put the most important things first, we can thank God for our safety and life.

We are tempted to become frantic in our response, but with God, we find it possible to put things into a more useful perspective. Every trial in life also provides a challenge.

Our relationship with God and our faith community can remind us that, though we are bruised and battered, we have the future in front of us. Even though we may have been unprepared for the destructive force of the storm, we can prepare ourselves for the lengthy process of recovery.

Lessons from recovery

Recovery from alcohol allowed me to hear God’s voice more clearly. I answered the call to ministry, graduated from seminary, and was ordained an elder in the UMC. I now have the privilege of pastoring a church centered on the notion of recovery, from addiction and the stresses and issues of life.

We here in Texas have that same opportunity with the recovery from our recent storm and its aftermath. The people of Florida have this opportunity. You have that opportunity, too, as you engage with whatever you’re recovering from.

Take a methodical approach. Deal with the most life-threatening thing first. Demonstrate the love, mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus in our daily lives.

This practice not only provides personal relief but calls us from the worries about what happened toward intentionally moving into the future. We can share our collective experience and strength to give hope to the hopeless, help to those in need and to have productive days.

My sobriety journey started with one day sober. One day led to two, then a week and then to many years. We can begin to stack one good and productive day upon another. We will get through what we may never get over.

Then someday — weeks, months or years from now — we will celebrate the day that we decided to take deliberate and efficient action to be the heart and hands and feet of Jesus for our families, our communities and the world.

The Rev. Jack Womack is pastor of Hope Community United Methodist Church. The congregation is a new faith community in Pasadena, Texas, with a special focus on faith, recovery and hope.