tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072349965739940389.post2562765123280316591..comments2011-04-26T16:13:51.470-05:00Comments on Be the Change: "I am become a name."Diannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06993039165090051502noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072349965739940389.post-74196902664624014612009-11-19T16:24:49.489-06:002009-11-19T16:24:49.489-06:00Shellie -
Thanks so much for sharing your story. ...Shellie -<br /><br />Thanks so much for sharing your story. It took me a little while to notice that someone had commented; sorry about that.<br /><br />I think the evangelical Church gets so mixed up in the idea of our own reputations, our own names, that to actually open up, put our name and our sins/addictions together in the same sentence can be super hard and makes us vulnerable. Evangelicals' favorite "apologist" Lewis says that "to love at all is to be vulnerable," and he wasn't talking in the context of romantic love - he was actually talking in terms of Christian communal love that I talk about all the time on here.<br /><br />That kind of got off track, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciate your vulnerability, and your willingness to put your "reputation" at risk because, in the end, that isn't what matters.<br /><br />-DiannaDiannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02905225202045402974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7072349965739940389.post-69735426918232054432009-11-10T20:49:05.703-06:002009-11-10T20:49:05.703-06:00I love the simplicity of this post. It's not r...I love the simplicity of this post. It's not rocket science! "Be the Change". I got lost for several years in drug addiction. When I was 25 I, too,was out to make a name for myself! At 50, I was going through out-patient treatment for addiction to the wonderful world of pain killers. A pharmacist. So full of shame & guilt. Never wanting anyone knowing my name as "I'm Shellie, and I'm an addict"! The reality is this. I am an addict. In recovery. 853 days since I last downed narcotics. And now? Proud. To a degree. It has brought me back to the dreams of a 25 year old. All of those years wasted, but I never blamed God. Still don't. It was a choice I made all by myself. And so is how I live my life today. With the compassion for others I had forgotten. I no longer "judge" anyone by appearance. I have met the most wonderful people thru my 12 step program. A new sense of selflessness. A new sense of surrender. A new sense of just how much God loves me. And never left me. It is my goal to share my experience, strength, and hope with anyone who needs it. Addict or not. Christian or not.Addiction & recovery have given me a new season of life. Even at 52, one can grow up & continue to learn. I used to be so Bible "smart". Now? Not so much. I share from my heart then my head. It's funny because it's not how I learned to share the "good news" from Campus Crusade for Christ. But, it's what works for me today and with the people I come in contact with. God has helped me meld Christianity with recovery without scaring people off with some form of "religion". Never knew so many people had so many scary experiences with religion!baylormumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05507744023526192400noreply@blogger.com