Taking Responsibility for Recovery

Taking Responsibility for Recovery

Many of us have suffered abuse. Many of us have participated in co-dependent situation where we were part of abuse – both active and passive. We all suffer from these wounds and some of these wounds will stay with us for a long time – if not our entire lives.

However, the abuse for most of us is in the past. The past is like frozen concrete: we cannot change it. History cannot be changed. The memories will never go away, and the story of our past will not change.

From here until the day we die is the wide open space of opportunity. It is now up to us. We can mold the future however we want to within our capabilities and resources. But - you say - who is responsible for recovering from what happened to us? This is the core question many of us face. The answer is very tough: IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PUSH OURSELVES TOWARD RECOVERY. Think about it. Our abusers cannot help us. They are probably just as screwed-up as they made us. We have the responsibility to either get professional therapy, or push ourselves along a self-selected path of personal recovery. The truth is very hard: IF WE DO NOT ACT, NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. Remember that we were taught passivity and blind obedience, and we were always waiting for orders from the master dictator, pastor or whatever. Now, it is different. We must act. We are Ex-Pentecostals. We are in charge now. The future is for us to write and control, and not anyone else. Thus, we are responsible for all the results of the future, whether good or bad, because we are in the driver’s seat, and the driver is responsible for the vehicle he drives. Get out a map, and mark your journey. Then get in the car, press the gas pedal, and go. We are now responsible for everything that we do from here on out.

So, let us all get tough. We must toughen up, and build our futures. We must make sure we are fully recovered – we must push through all the pain of the past and make sure we have made peace with it – at least find the peace to the point that it does not stop us. This requires hard, tough work.

So, remember, we cannot sit around expecting someone to fix our worlds and build our futures. We have to actively, and seriously go after the future. Again, the abusers will not help us and we should not expect them to do so. Think of it as catching a cold. It is not really our fault that we catch a cold, but it is our responsibility to take care of ourselves after infection toward recovery. It is the same way with we Ex-Pentecostals. We must find the inner strength to take responsibility for the future, and push forward with full force.

You are in charge now. You are the Captain of your soul.

derkrash-at-earthlink-dot-net
JP Istre