I Can't Get No Satisfaction

#bible #christianity #spirituality #scripture #mentorship #discipleship #spiritualgrowth #personalgrowth #AA #recovery #sobriety

I can distinctly remember sitting in a church basement, twenty-six years ago, at a meeting of alcoholics anonymous, and hearing what I knew even at the time would be a profound statement; "If you don't find in this new way of life, what you were looking for in the bottle, you're destined to go back to it!"

For an alcoholic, particularly one who is desperately grasping towards substantive and lasting recovery the way a drowning man or woman desperately grasps at a life preserver, these words are both revelatory, and life changing.

This phrase was of such powerful effect because, a, it was based the conviction of the personal experience of those who came before me, and so they knew what they were talking about, and b, it was also an adaption of quite a profound statement made by Dr. Karl Jung, one of the fathers of modern psychology.

Dr. Jung is recognized as a sort of unofficial contributor to AA, given that he spent time trying to diagnose and help an alcoholic named Roland Hazard, who ended up by Jung's recommendation, immersing himself in the fellowship and spiritual program of the Oxford Group, a twentieth century evangelical Christian movement dedicated to fostering spiritual renewal in each of its members through its six step program of action.

Out of this group would emerge not only Hazard, but Bill Wilson, and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith, (Dr. Bob,) who shortly thereafter started their own fellowship in conjunction with their own spiritual twelve step program for personal recovery, specifically designated for alcoholics who wished to get well. This fellowship of course, became known to the wider world as Alcoholics Anonymous.

During these treatment sessions between Jung and Hazard, Jung was noted to have said, "your craving for alcohol is really the manifestation of a deeper longing within you for union with your Creator."

These words many believe, (myself very much included,) were divinely inspired, and have reverberated powerfully through the heart and soul of many an alcoholic since.

But, they don't just apply to alcoholics, do they?

Indeed they do not! They hearken back to similar words and expressions spoken thousands of years prior to that aforementioned meeting between the two men.

St. Augustine, one of the early Christian Church Fathers, who was the presiding Bishop of the church in Hippo, (what is now modern day Turkey,) had this to say regarding the matter, "our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You, oh God!"

I couldn't have said it better myself! It is also, I believe, the origin of what later became another profoundly helpful saying in Alcoholics Anonymous, and in life in general, "we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts, and it will never be satisfied until we stop trying to fill it with everything else but God!"

If you are the least bit observant, you may be seeing a pattern developing here.

Does the Bible have anything to say about this?

Of course it does!

Matthew 16: 24-26 kicks us off, and the Message translation of scripture here paints a particularly compelling picture of the interplay between surrender and satisfaction,

"Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?""

Self explanatory to say the least!

Now, let's have a look at Psalm 23 verses 1-4, again in the Message translation of scripture, whose rendering I hope will resonate with you, as powerfully as it has with me,

"God, my shepherd!

I don’t need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,

you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word,

you let me catch my breath

and send me in the right direction."

4 Even when the way goes through

Death Valley,

I’m not afraid

when you walk at my side.

Your trusty shepherd’s crook

makes me feel secure."

Truly, the story of my life. . . .

Next, let's look at

the gospel of Matthew 16:36,

"If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

As we ponder, and meditate on Jesus' words here, let's consider their voracity as we reflect on whether or not their truth is proven in and throughout our experience.

I can tell you that, whenever I have clung so possessively, and so tightly to my desires, and have tried to forcefully make them happen, I have unequivocally never been happy or had peace in my heart, even when I seemed to have succeeded in accomplishing what I thought needed to be done.

Conversely, however, whenever I have suffered enough to be willing to truly trust God and let go of how I thought things ought to have been done, by His grace and to the best of my ability, I have experienced such a supernatural peace that has surpassed ALL of my ability to understand it, that has enabled me to have known a contentedness and satisfaction I have never experienced before or knew existed!

As a result of this, I have somehow supernaturally been able, by the natural outflow of His grace and power, been able to genuinely love others more deeply, and have been able to display far more patience, tolerance, kindness, forgiveness, understanding, and mercy toward them on a far more consistent basis.

It is truly remarkable what the fruit of His Spirit can empower us to do if we let Him live HIS life through us!

Lastly let's look at

Matthew 19:23,

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!"

Stronger words have rarely been spoken. Is Jesus saying that it is a sin to be rich, no.

If that was the case, God wouldn't have been able to use Joseph if Arimathea, a rich man and also a follower of Jesus, to be able to use his influence to bury Jesus in the tomb that he own, this setting the stage of course for the most pivotal moment in human history, and the single event on which all of our Christian faith hinges, - The resurrection of Christ!

What He is saying is that that, there is a sort of inherent challenge and temptation that goes along with being rich that few find the faith or desire to rise above; TO MAKE MONEY THEIR GOD!

The Bible never says that money is evil. It does however, in no uncertain terms, say that "the LOVE of money is the root of all evil." (1 Timothy 6:10)

Money and material possessions then, are like alcohol, drugs, sex, honor, and power, - they are great servants, but horrible masters.

Let's do ourselves a huge favor, and hearken unto the previous words of our Savior and obey them, that we may not damage the intimacy and peace that we've found in Him, much less severely damage ourselves, our emotions, our psyches, our relationships, and the people around us in the process.

Let's allow GOD TO BE GOD, and trust that if we trust in Him, and give Him His due praise as the Lord of our lives, He will indeed be "a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," (Hebrews 11:6,) and "keep in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on Him." (Isaiah 26:3)

Questions and Reflection:

Am I genuinely keeping God first in my life?

Do I really have the peace of God in my heart?

Do I really have godly contentment on any sort of a consistent basis?

Am I thanking God regularly for all of the good that He has given me?

When is the last time I have shared my faith with someone else?

Closing Prayer:

All Loving Heavenly Father,

We come as humbly as we can into your courts with thanksgiving and praise,

we thank for you for giving us this powerful revelation found in your precious Word, that we can apply in our lives to help us stay close to Your Heart and in sync with Your will for our lives Lord,

Help us, by Your grace, to forever keep you first in our hearts and in our lives, so that not only will we experience your perfect peace, but be channels of the the river of that peace, spilling over into the lives of those around us, that they might know you better, and be, along with us, forever changed into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus Christ,

And it is in His Holy name that we pray,

Amen! 🙏🏼