“A double minded man
is unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:8
The word bifurcation means “the division of something
into two branches or parts.” It may not be a widely known and used word within
our vocabulary. Yet its prevalence abounds.
Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde are two figures which describe a person who is radically, even morally
different, depending upon the circumstance.
Indeed, Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella appears to capture the chaotic struggle, as an
individual wars in the battle between good and evil.
It’s an excellent portrait of
addiction.
For, according to the literary
classic, Dr. Jekyll, endeavoring to win that battle, creates a
potion. Doing this spurs the persona of Mr. Hyde, who increasingly gains more power.
And we see how the regular consumption of this potion becomes
destructive. Eventually, the personality of Hyde becomes so strong, the person
of Jekyll grows dependent upon the potion to simply function.
Again, this Jekyll and Hyde schism mirrors addiction. How many times have
we heard, witnessed or behaved in a manner which is diametrically opposite of
our “normal” selves? We encounter examples of “the angry drunk” or “the happy
drunk.” We see the introvert who, because of various substances, becomes the
life of the party.
Personality
is altered. And, frequently, that alteration has adverse results.
Concerning
our addiction experiences, it would, therefore, be beneficial to examine the Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde within each of us.
Willingness
“…‘Do you want to
get well?’"
John 5:6
First, we
have to face our attitude about willingness. There is no neutrality here. We
veer toward yes or no: to face our truth and to admit we need help.
Dr. Jekyll in
us may, indeed, be cooperative. But, let’s be real, even if that is the case,
at best, we are often clueless, even if we are agreeable.
“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
That’s where
the recovery programs come in, touting “trust the process” and “surrender.”
“For now we see through a glass, darkly...”
1 Corinthians 13:12
We need to
admit we are not capable of objectivity and of successfully running our own
lives when it comes to our addictions, disorders and vices. Clearly, we cannot.
If we could
effectively do that, we wouldn’t be where we are in our assorted messes.
We may be well
intentioned, like Dr. Jekyll, not wanting to cause harm, believing we have things
under control. Yet, we are unsupervised with our personal solution potions; and
a door to someone-and something- else opens.
“...the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is
weak.”
Matthew 26:41
So, most of
the time, our “no response” to both matters of willingness and wellness, ushers
in Mr. Hyde.
“Where there is no vision, the people
perish...”
Proverbs 29:18
There’s
another translation to this powerful scripture:
“Where there is no
vision, people cast off restraint.”
I believe
that particular translation speaks more accurately of us. Here exists our
dangerous addiction alter ego, Mr. Hyde. We are confronted by self-sabotage.
Many of us are wrestling with various demons, compelling our passions. We
possess psyches which, already broken and bruised, operate from negative
assertions, things like...
I am worthless.
I am pointless.
I am joyless.
Indeed, what
drove Dr. Jekyll to look for something outside of himself? Deep insecurity?
Some form of “less than?”
We certainly
don’t see this character as content with himself and with his life. He believed
he needed something extra, something more, to enhance things.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he...”
Proverbs 23:7
He, in
essence, believed the hype of his Hyde; he believed that persona was his
answer.
And that
makes the next reality even more challenging.
The Tricky Heart:
“…‘Do you want to
get well?’"
John 5:6
Before Mr.
Hyde, exists Dr. Jekyll. Before behavior, comes the issue-laden heart.
“For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also.”
Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34
Failure to
know, to acknowledge and to deal with that truth leave us even more vulnerable
to Matthew
26:41’s point.
“...the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is
weak.”
But, if Dr. Jekyll
is oblivious or hardened to that perspective, inevitably, Mr. Hyde surfaces. He
is the attitude which refuses to accept and deal with individual, flawed
humanity.
“The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
He is that
direct defiance of addiction as ugly truth.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.”
1 John 1:8
And, once we
allow that to be our “normal,” we cross into another dangerous level. We are emboldened
to believe our actions will never catch up with us.
“He hath said in his heart, I shall not be
moved: for I shall never be in adversity.”
Psalms 10:6
Mr. Hyde,
sooner or later, will kill and destroy. My Hyde rages against our lives.
And that
affects the rubber meets the road truth of active recovery.
Doing the Life’s Work:
“…‘Do you want to get well?’"
John 5:6
The recovery
phrase, “doing the work” not only addresses the healthier action of sobriety,
but to an improved life overall.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
And again,
our baseline is Dr. Jekyll. He is our vulnerability and our potential for
destruction.
“...the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is
weak.”
Matthew 26:41
“One day at
a time,” therefore, is the necessary, daily commitment we make. When we
recognize both our need for willingness and our fragile humanity, we, in
essence, say “yes” to John 5:6’s question. We engage in
our work and welcome the Divine intervention which oversees the entire process.
“And I will give them a heart to know
me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Jeremiah 24:7
However, if
we say “no,” Mr. Hyde rears his destructive head again. He comes with toxic
defiance.
“He hath said in his heart, ‘I shall not be
moved: for I shall never be in adversity.’”
Psalms 10:6
“...‘God hath forgotten... he will never
see it.’”
Psalms 10:11
Mr. Hyde’s
lifeblood is denial. And this mocks our need to do the recovery work, to
change, to heal.
Our Creator
knows us: every thought, motivation, delusion and sickness. He knows. He knows
if we are Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde right now, right this second.
“The king's heart is in the hand of
the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Every
way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.”
Proverbs 21:1-2
This is
comprehensive knowledge of our entire health. And that health must extend
beyond ourselves.
Being Mindful of Others:
“…‘Do you want to
get well?’"
John 5:6
Dr. Jekyll
has enough common sense and decency to realize he is not an island unto
himself. There is a sphere of influence close to him. Impressionable souls are
watching.
“Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge
this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his
brother's way.”
Romans 14:13
This stumbling block factor amplifies where we
stand on health and recovery. For, if we truly have embraced the tenets of
sobriety, we take ownership of our influence on others. In our addictions, we
have caused pain; in our addictions, we have caused others to stumble.
“...the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41
But, again, refusal to face that invites Mr.
Hyde to do what he does best: destroy.
“Where there is
no vision, the people perish...”
Proverbs 29:18
Again, we’re back to casting off restraint.
Addiction, much like our dear Mr. Hyde has, at
its core, rampant, potentially murderous, selfishness. All we chase is our high.
How much was laid waste because we let it rip?
Recovery unflinchingly challenges the addict
to face his/her personally executed desolation. And, part of that healing
addresses our role as destructive influencer, luring others into disease.
Again, no person is an island unto
himself/herself. The ripple effect, unfortunately, can drown anyone in its
undercurrent.
Let’s face it: Mr. Hyde would rather have his
potion than anything else. Nothing bothers him in the throes of his passion. A
relationship or even a person could die and it would not matter. He has his beloved.
Everything and everyone else is expendable, save his cherished addiction.
“A double minded man
is unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:8
This Jekyll and Hyde factor, to a certain degree, affects all of us by its
precarious duality.
But those of us prone to addiction have an
even more intense vulnerability.
Bifurcation’s definition, indeed, is “the division of something into two branches or parts.”
If we refuse to acknowledge and
deal with that, we convey we are agreeable to any misfortune which inevitably
follows our self-destructive decision; it is synonymous with our potion/addiction
and its madness for which we see no reason to quell.
Right now, we have a decision
to make: we can choose the single or double minded path. We can confront our
Dr. Jekyll, our Mr. Hyde and our disease.
We can choose to stop or
continue the division. We can choose.
Copyright © 2021 by
Sheryle Cruse
