Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Let's Get Real


You SHOULD


The Same Rights As...


I Am Aware- A For Accountability


A:

The next “A” letter we look at points to that of “accountability.”


“But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

Luke 12:48

“Accepting responsibility for our actions…”

It’s a well-worn phrase, especially in addiction/recovery circles. But it cannot be emphasized enough. It is the realization of the part we played in our ugly realities.

But there is more to the accountability issue than that. It also incorporates the hopeful opportunity to be a light and an encouraging guide to others. It’s evident in the twelfth step…

“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”

If we can make the shift from viewing ourselves as doomed disordered eating sufferers to honest, transparent, real-life helpers, we move from imprisoning self-obsession to healthy connection and acceptance of ourselves and others.

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

I Am Aware- AM


Let’s examine the two letters comprising one little word: am.

A-     Admit



First, the “a” of that word. What if it represented “admit?” The first step of any 12 Step program hinges on us admitting we have a problem. 

1.      We admitted we were powerless over a substance or behavior ─ our lives had become unmanageable.



We won’t get any further in healing without it.

 “He who covers his sins will not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

Proverbs 28:13

And, hand in hand with that challenging truth is another truth; we don’t know what we’re doing.

 “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice: but what I hate, that I do.”

Romans 7:15

 This is all the more reason we need, perhaps, to turn to our next letter in the word, “am.” We need to see the “mission” in the letter “M.”

M-Mission:

We need to embrace a mission, something that is larger than the struggle and pain we are in when it comes to the present moment.

“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction.”

Proverbs 29:18

The New Living Translation’s interpretation of that same scripture is as follows…

“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”

Oh yeah, that’s an understatement.

I believe it was the late Johnny Cash who said, “We all need someone to love, something to do and something to look forward to.” That’s where mission can come in.


When we recognize there is meaning to us, significance, we can possibly endure the present moment and do what’s necessary to improve our lives and heal. It’s not about perfection, just ongoing, meaningful progress which extends beyond us as individuals.

If we can admit there is a problem and commit to our healing of it, we are in the present state of “am.”

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse

Monday, February 26, 2018

I Am Aware- The Week Begins...


Once again, we are at that time of year, the awareness week for disordered food, weight and body image issues.

From February 26th - March 4th, 2018, the emphasis is on promoting awareness, reducing shame and isolation and getting help, wherever and however we find ourselves.

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice: but what I hate, that I do.”

Romans 7:15

“I am aware.”

Let’s take some time and really break down what those letters can spell out for us… starting with “I.”

Information:


We have to realize we don’t have the necessary information, especially if we are in the grips of disorder. We all lack some wisdom and are on a continuum of needing to learn. We all have the capacity to learn and improve our lives; we all have The Most High, guiding us…

 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask Elohim, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

James 1:5

Recognizing there is more to learn can often be that very important first step. Take it; get information!

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Honor Her


To Protect Your Peace...


Success Is...Grace




 “And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.”

John 1:16

As someone recovering from disordered image, food and weight issues, I’ve long wrestled with the perfection issue. There was a mandate, both self-imposed and emanating from others, to be perfect in behavior, achievement and appearance.

However, this last goal was the most frustrating and demoralizing.

As a child, I was overweight, inheriting my mother’s own negative body image perceptions. Later, throughout adolescence, I was bullied, teased and rejected.

And then, adding insult to injury, I felt I could never win when it came to my dad and his expectations.

 “...I desperately wanted my dad to notice me. I learned very quickly that one surefire way to do that was by winning awards. When I won something, I wasn’t completely worthless or useless. I was productive; I was “earning my keep.” I set impossible standards for myself. Try as I might with award after award, I’d eventually disappoint everyone, including myself, proving that I wasn’t worth anything after all.

My perfect attendance record in school is an excellent example. For three years in a row, I did not missed one day of school, knowing that I would win a perfect attendance certificate, tangible proof on paper that I was worthwhile. It became a standard I had to maintain because my dad seemed pleased in my performance. Of course, he never said that he was proud of me, but he did lay off the criticisms briefly. So for the next few years, I went to school with colds, sore throats and influenza. I remember going to school once with a temperature of over 101, sitting at my desk, on the verge of throwing up, yet only thinking of that certificate.

When I reached junior high, I became so sick once I had to stay home. I felt defeated and anxious. My dad, who had never really been sick with so much as a cold, was unsympathetic to my condition. With each passing day I stayed home from school, the tension mounted. Three days at home, according to my dad, was enough. He became upset at my mom for being “such a terrible mother.” After three days home, he had enough. He decided he would take me into school to make sure I got there.

On the way to school, he was fuming and I was scared to death, but my fourteen-year-old mind wanted to know something. We’d never had any father/daughter talks about anything, much less about the existence of a loving relationship, but I got up the nerve to ask him, ‘Do you still love me?’ His answer? ‘If you do this again, I won’t.’

His answer proved it. It was my fault. I had to prove myself in order to be loved. I wasn’t the cute, good little daughter he should have had. If I could just look right and act right, he’d love me. All I have to do, I decided, is be perfect. That’s all.”

(Excerpt from Cruse’s book, “Thin Enough: My Spiritual Journey Through the Living Death of an Eating Disorder”)

So, in all of my efforts to be perfect, I learned I was not only unacceptable, ugly, stupid and fat, I was also a hopeless failure.

“Success isn’t about perfection. It’s about progression.”

I wish I knew who uttered this wonderful quote.

But, little did I know I was eventually and  slowly actually practicing it, via one of God’s most powerful truths: grace.

In fact, you could replace the word, “progression” with “grace” and it would still hold the same potent meaning.

It’s because grace is critical to life, destiny and healing. None of us would have any hope without it.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace has been there from the start because, simply stated, we NEED it!

God provides it for each one of us, equipping us for this thing called our lives, and yes, our sins.

 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace.”

Galatians 1:15

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Romans 6:14

That is vital for those of us obsessed with unrealistic, paralyzing perfection. It goes beyond the anorexic or the bulimic. It covers anyone who struggles.

 And hello, last time I checked, that was the human race.

But knowing that reality and absorbing/applying it are two different things.

To achieve any kind of healing requires seeing the personalization God has given to grace when it comes to each of us.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:8

Grace is not some nebulous theory; it is relevant, accessible and pro-us.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

Who out there needs help in time of need?

Exactly.

But coming to terms with God’s personal, individual dispensation of grace can be tricky because of the lies we’ve absorbed. These lies can dictate oppressive terms, convincing us of such things as...

I am not good enough.

God doesn’t think about me.

God doesn’t love me.

I need to earn my worth.

It’s too late/hopeless for me.

For much of my life, I lived each of these statements. They pushed me to anorexia, bulimia, suicidal thoughts and numerous lost, self-destructive choices.

It had a lot to do with my stance on grace.

For as much attention as there is to the importance of accepting Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, there is not equal emphasis on us having a personal relationship with God’s grace. Jesus and Grace: one can argue how they are, indeed, one and the same.

“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

Ephesians 2:5

But do we choose to accept this?

“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

Galatians 2:21

The process of living our lives in and with grace is not dependent upon our performance. It’s in spite of our performance. If we are in a constant state of “earning,” we not only frustrate the grace of God, we frustrate our lives, our health, our recovery and our irreplaceable meaning.

We are all in this same boat of being dependent upon God’s grace. No one has it together. No one is mistake and sin-free. We have all blown it.

Therefore, it is upon us all to heed 2 Corinthians 6:1...

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”

It’s an ongoing, flaw-filled process. However, committing to- and following it- eventually reveals the transformation reality.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 3:18

And that truly is living, breathing progression in us all!

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse


The Still, Silent Challenge: Do We Sit With Our Hearts?




I admit it. I have a difficult time being still.

I like background noise, action and movement. This probably explains why I am pathetic at relaxation exercises, Tai Chi and yoga. I just can’t seem to settle down. The room may be completely quiet, yet my thoughts, “to do” lists and anxieties are often at record-setting decibel levels.

And this noise is often a part of the addiction package. Why? Because it’s distracting. And anything that promises to provide escape from reality is tantalizing.

So, bring on the vices, the noise, the social media, the cell phone apps, the adrenaline rush and the frenetic pace of distraction. We don’t want to face unpleasant situations.

“Social networking already accounts for 28 percent of all media time spent online... on average using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

18 percent of social media users can’t go a few hours without checking Facebook, and 28 percent of iPhone users check their Twitter feed before getting up in the morning.”

“Social Media Addiction: Statistics & Trends,” Shea Bennett, http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/social-media-addiction-stats/504131

Yet, often, instead of finding relief, let alone, solutions, to our less than ideal realities, we find ourselves even more anxious.

And so, like any true junkie, we need our “fix” faster, more furious and in larger quantities than when we started our great escape plan.

But we are no closer to health and blessing. And that result often points to the fact we do not want to get searched.

"The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Socrates

Let’s go back to the junkie for a moment. Imagine there he is, caught red-handed, with paraphernalia and substances right in his pockets. Now, did that junkie voluntarily desire to get caught and searched? Of course not. He does not want all of the truth, hidden from view, brought into the unflinching light. He doesn’t want quiet, stillness and self-reflection. He wants to be distracted by using.

But the benefits which can arise from getting quiet and honest, from voluntarily granting spiritual search warrants, are profound.

  • Heart rate, respiration, blood pressure and oxygen consumption are all decreased.
  • Meditators are less anxious and nervous.
  • Meditators were more independent and self-confident
  • People who deliberated daily were less fearful of death.
  • 75% of insomniacs who started a daily meditation program were able to fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed.
  • Production of the stress hormone Cortisol is greatly decreased, thus making it possible for those people to deal with stress better when it occurs.
  • Women with PMS showed symptom improvements after 5 months of steady daily rumination and reflection.
  • Thickness of the artery walls decreased which effectively lowers the risk of heart attack or stroke by 8% to 15%.
  • Relaxation therapy was helpful in chronic pain patients.
  • 60% of anxiety prone people showed marked improvements in anxiety levels after 6-9 months.

“Statistics on People who Meditate,” Joel Sparks,


This comes from allowing the Divine complete access to our hearts.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalms 139:23-24

 “Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that’s meditation.” I hear that response murmured from some of you.

What about those of us who pray instead of meditate?

What about those findings?

Again, there are astounding benefits.

“For the past 30 years, Harvard scientist Herbert Benson, MD, has conducted his own studies on prayer... ‘All forms of prayer,’ he says, ‘evoke a relaxation response that quells stress, quiets the body, and promotes healing. Prayer involves repetition -- of sounds, words -- and therein lies its healing effects.’ ...”

“Can Prayer Heal?” By Jeanie Lerche Davis

Whether it is prayer or meditation, it goes beyond mere semantics. Spiritual power is found in the real, raw, honest assessment and heart connection with a Force greater than ourselves.

“ ...‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”

Psalm 46:10

That often cannot happen in noise and distraction. It originates from silence, stillness and a spirit of true yearning. It exists in the moments of probing questions...

What am I wanting right now?

Why am I wanting it?

Where’s my heart?

Often, it’s not in the spectacle of a morning church service. It’s not in the right speech repeated in a many a religious context.

“‘...This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.’”

Mark 7:6

Instead, many times, it occurs when everyone has gone home, when all activities and business are finished. It happens when everything is quiet and it is just the individual and the Most High, intermingling. It is a sacred, intimate experience, should we dare to tap into it.

We cannot escape this reality; life issues are heart issues. And, applying God’s Word to them is the ongoing work we need to engage in. It speaks to the power and meaning of relationship over religion.

Therefore, addiction, often, is a substitute for our Divine connection with the Most High. Addiction wants to circumvent intimacy with a failed, temporary substitute which short circuits our spiritual selves; it interferes with our physical, mental and emotional recovery processes.

Indeed, at any given moment, we are in a position to ask ourselves...

Am I facing my truth or am I running away from it?

How close is my heart to the Most High God?

Am I dealing with who I am?

Are we truly sitting down with our honest answers to those questions?

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse


Saturday, February 24, 2018

I Am Aware




Once again, we are at that time of year, the awareness week for disordered food, weight and body image issues.

From February 26th - March 4th, 2018, the emphasis is on promoting awareness, reducing shame and isolation and getting help, wherever and however we find ourselves.

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice: but what I hate, that I do.”

Romans 7:15

“I am aware.”

Friday, February 23, 2018

The Power of "From There"


You Just Have To...


Not All Surprises Are Bad




In recovery from my disordered eating and image issues over the years, one thing I had to face was the complicated, unresolved father/daughter factor in my life. No, I did not get the loving father/daughter relationship I so craved.

It’s taken me years to connect the dots concerning my disordered mindset. Unfortunately, yes, the family environment I experienced played a role.

Families of people with Anorexia Nervosa:

•• Enmeshed, overprotective, conflict-avoiding

•• Unresponsive to patient’s self-expressions

Families of People with Bulimia Nervosa:

•• Parents are critical and detached

•• Characterized by hostile enmeshment

•• Non-nurturing

•• Emotionally unresponsive

Ohio State University FactSheet. Used with permission

Still, within that reality, I’ve had to look at a much bigger factor: the spiritual one. And a large part of my healing has come from seeing how God, as Father, intentionally chose, wanted, desired and loved me, regardless of what my human father did or did not do.

“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”

Isaiah 43:4

“I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”

Isaiah 41:9

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.’”

Jeremiah 31:3

 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

And, although I cannot change what was concerning my imperfect reality with my dad, I can choose to embrace the real and eternal truth of my father/daughter relationship with God, the ultimate Father.

In the popular television series, “Mad Men,” an episode entitled, “The Fog,” captured a beautiful exchange between the protagonist Don Draper and his daughter, Sally.

In the scene, father and daughter discuss the birth of the family’s second son. Everyone thought it would be a girl, to which Draper responds…

“I thought you were going to be a boy. Not all surprises are bad.”

This heartwarming bit of dialogue again reminds me of how God views each of us through His Fatherly, loving lens. We are specifically loved and chosen.

 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”

John 1:3

There was no regret or second thought about us, about who He created us to be.

Perhaps, you’ve not had the unconditional love experience with your parents. Maybe disorder and addiction have left their marks, fracturing family relationships and healthy self-perceptions. Don’t believe the lie you were a mistake, an accident, unplanned. Nothing could be further from the truth as far as God is concerned! You may have been a “surprise” to someone, but you have been intentionally, spiritually created, with purpose, by God, from the start.

Again…

“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”

Isaiah 43:4

“I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”

Isaiah 41:9

It’s not too late. Right now, God loves each of us, is thinking about us and desires a wonderful future, filled with restorative love, healing and blessings. Right now.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Therefore, choose to embrace a loving Father Who knew exactly what He was doing when He created you.

“...I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”

Psalm 139:14

And yes, you will be surprised at just how much, how completely and how uniquely, He will love and connect with you!

Indeed, not all surprises are bad!

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse






Our Hummingbird Ways?




I love hummingbirds. And here’s an interesting little factoid about them:

“Hummingbirds are continuously hours away from starving to death, and are able to store just enough energy to survive overnight.”

I immediately thought of my anorexic experiences.


I recount my mindset, offered in my book, “Thin Enough: My Spiritual Journey Through the Living Death Of An Eating Disorder.”

“… I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I still kept going. I had to. Progress—just a few more pounds, then I’ll be done. So I’d continue every morning: six hours of boot camp torture on little or no food or water. I had gotten to the point now where I feared drinking water would make me fat.

Every morning, my heart and pulse would pound and race. I could feel throbbing from veins that were sticking out on the backs of my knees and the crooks of my elbows. Every morning, I would stand up, shaky, dizzy already, only to then have everything go black. And then, I’d wake up, lying on the floor. Passing out was now a regular part of my day.

I was scared now, not only for my health, but scared of the danger of being discovered. What if I did this in front of someone? You see, these daily blackout sessions always happened during my exercise routine at midnight. I started exercising at midnight because I could be alone for my required six-hour exercise punishment...”

I didn’t know it at the time, but I had my own obsessive hummingbird thing going on. It was driven by fear- and it didn’t have to be that way.

Fear had convinced me the absolute worst things in the world that could happen to me were eating and gaining weight. So, the torture game became “don’t eat- go as long, as far as you can without eating- just keep going.”

But, what I didn’t know was that this was not what God wanted for me. He didn’t want to punish me; that was not His Will towards me. This, rather, was, instead:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

God never created me to be like the every frenetic hummingbird. He wanted me to have a life- and one which wasn’t running desperately on fumes.

“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”’

John 10:10

The fear I was experiencing, driving me to emaciation, exhaustion and misery was not of God.

 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

 I didn’t know that at the time.

I didn’t know that fear is a spirit, distorting the truth of things; fear lies to us. It tries to convince us God doesn’t love us, God will fail us and life is a horrible, hopeless thing.

All lies.

God repeatedly tells us NOT to fear…

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not: for I am with thee…”

Isaiah 43:5

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Luke 12:32

 “And he saith unto them, ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’ Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

Matthew 8:26

This last scripture struck me especially hard as I looked at the wordsthere was a great calm.”

Ever see a hummingbird? Not a lot of calm going on there.

And that’s the reality check. For those of us struggling with eating disorders and obsessive/compulsive thoughts and behaviors, are we acting more like a frantic hummingbird or a peaceful child of God? Where are we falling within that spectrum? We are somewhere.

So, wherever we are, how imperfectly we are, let’s first start with Psalm 46:10:

“Be still, and know that I am God…”

From there, let’s live as His Child. Let’s cease from our hummingbird ways.

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse








Glamourizing the Triggers?




 “Pain is beauty.”

As a female, I certainly heard that phrase and took it to heart. I believed the lie that it was a female’s obligation to endure pain and suffering for beauty. Hence, my dark battle with eating disorders developed.

Recently, I caught a fashion ad which disturbed me.

Fashion photographer Danil Golovkin did a layout in which she featured model, Anastasiya Kolbasko. This, in my opinion, was a glamourized depiction of eating disorder behavior.

Rather than wearing the jewelry designs, the blonde model “eats” the adornments of gold styled by Liliya Simonyan.

But, the photos go further. There is posing of the model and the jewelry to suggest actual purging; in some photos, Anastasiya appears to be vomiting the jewelry. And, in every photo of the series, of course, the model has dead eyes and looks, quite frankly, cadaverous.

Triggering. That’s an oft-used word for those of us recovering from disordered eating and harmful, negative body image issues.

Looking at this “artistic” layout, I couldn’t help but think “ding, ding, ding!” Triggered ALL OVER the place!!!

And it angers me, because it represents rampant thoughtlessness and reiterates how harmful images are embraced and promoted.

I don’t know if any of these people involved in the creation of this ad had any experience with the horror of eating disorders. Perhaps none of them had loved ones touched by these painful disordered conditions. But still, is there no sensitivity?

“…make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”

Romans 14:13

“But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak.”

1 Corinthians 8:9

And it, yet again, it brings the importance of God’s real estimation of us, our value and yes, our beauty…

The Song of Solomon:

2:14: “O my dove…let me see your form…for your form is lovely.”

4:1: “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes...”

4:7: “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”

6:4: “Thou art beautiful, O my love...”

 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

I guess we all have to work overtime focusing on these scriptural images, just to cancel out the images like this “glamour” ad campaign.

May we all absorb Psalm 139:14 as a defense against the warped fashion image messages…

“...I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse


A Way That Seems Right?




Recently, a young girl reached out to me concerning her struggles with disordered eating; she informed me she just took up the habit of smoking.

“For what I am doing, I do not understand...”

The Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15

She’s currently in a facility, being treated for bulimia, a mood disorder and self-injury behavior. I asked her what her treatment center thought about this habit. She told me she thought it was a better action than engaging in the eating disorder and self-injury behaviors.

But, to me, it smacks of cross- addiction. Indeed, someone afflicted with an addiction, obsession or disorder can often become convinced if they just switch it for another passion or behavior, he or she will be fine.

I did this myself.

Back in college, when I experienced my infamous intervention with my roommates and the college’s social services department, I was called out on my own dysfunctional behavior: calling psychic hotlines.

I am not joking.

Desperate as I was for hope, answers and relief, I racked up an enormous phone bill, spending hours each weekend, dialing these hotlines. I tried to distract myself from my eating disorders, chaotic emotions and despair.

But nothing worked. The psychic hotlines could not heal my behaviors, my feelings or my issues. Only complications, more resentment, anger and frustration resulted from me calling these spend-y phone numbers.

Substitutes could not change things; facing and dealing with my truth, via God’s help, however, did.

There is a way that seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death.”

Proverbs 14:12

Dealing with this smoking issue is tricky, particularly for those of us who are in recovery. How many meetings are filled with people chain smoking and drinking endless cups of coffee? Sometimes, from a recovery vantage point, the smoking vice appears to be the lesser of two evils. I’ve personally witnessed how my own family members obsessively cling to cigarettes and coffee, for fear of drinking again. Every opportunity for a smoke or coffee break, sometimes, every fifteen minutes, is a must do for them.

It’s hard. I don’t want to be judge-y here.

But, again, substituting one addiction for another is not the answer and furthermore, may even be more of a complication to long term health. I have had family and friends die of cancer because of their “substitutes.”

There may be a way which seems right, but we need to pay attention to what comes after that “but…”

…its end is the way of death.”

Proverbs 14:12

Let’s make every attempt to choose life, instead.

Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse