Addiction

THURS., JULY 2, 1992, 6:18 AM
FARM, STUDY

You have resisted this title and what I might say about it to you. How personal will it be? If it is personal, don’t you need My advice? You know that your life goes well, but if it could go better you should consider present and future behaviors, now shouldn’t you?

Addiction is, fundamentally, a descriptive term. It is the condition in which you compulsively do something having little or no control over this action. It describes a condition wherein you must do something, whether you want to or not. It becomes negative when the behavior increases to a point that it adversely affects your functioning as a person… wherein your life is out of balance, particularly in relation to Me.

Your culture sees complete control of your own actions as healthy, and any addiction as unhealthy. My ideal for human life has a somewhat different balance, for I see some addictions as quite desirable. This relationship of ours is the prime example. I want you to be addicted to coming in this early morning hour and writing what you “hear” Me telling you. I let you back off from a daily meditation, but I want you to feel the need, the compulsion to come 3 or 4 times a week, even when your other responsibilities are pressing. I allow you some control, but I want this to be a true addiction.

I want you to be addicted to participation in the life of your church. I want this to be a compulsion, so that you will rearrange other activities so that you can be an active leader in the life of this Body of Mine. I want you to feel uncomfortable when you don’t worship and when you are not active. I want you to feel that life would not be as good… even good at all… without this addiction.

It could be argued that both of these addictions are harmful in that they take time and energy that could go to “more productive tasks.” If you weren’t writing four Ruminations a year you could be writing professional papers or doing some “more acceptable” research. Without church you could have more varied Sunday activity, and you’d have more evenings “free.” You know that I reject such an argument. There is no better use of time than relationship with Me. Life in this body of yours has a reality to it, but you are coming to know, more and more clearly, that the true reality in spirit, and this physical life is only a part of your total, continuing life. What you are doing professionally doesn’t have the importance that knowing about spirit and about Me has.

Now, what about your use of alcohol? Is this an addiction? Yes, it is, for you know that drinking is an almost necessary part of your daily life. Normally it is not harmful, but occasionally you drink too much and feel uncomfortable as you consider what you did or said or how you used time. I want you to be critical of yourself when you behave in harmful, even potentially harmful, ways. I also want you to forgive yourself, as I do, and simply see a new day ahead, in which you can behave in more commendable ways. “One day at a time” is not a perfect formula for life, but it has much merit.

You still have some addiction to sexual activity, even as you are accepting the loss of this aspect of life. You are not including Lenore, and you should try to restore this activity in your life together. The plan you have considered is a good one. Be willing to give it a try, and don’t let one failure be your only basis for judgment.