Recovery Reflections by Melissa Gissy Witherspoon CARPE DIEM – SEIZE THE DAY!
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herefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34 NIV). This beautiful scripture brings instant relief to me each time I read it. Life can be so hectic that we don’t know if we are coming or going. In a world that revolves around instant gratification and demands immediate responses, slowing down and being present in the moment can seem almost impossible.
HIS GRACE IS NOT ONLY FOR ME BUT FOR ALL OF HIS PEOPLE. Having the opportunity to connect with you as I write this brings gratitude to my heart and creates a connection between us and our Creator. It reminds me of how important it is to slow down, find my center with Jesus, and ask the important question: God, what is Your will for me… just for today? His answer often includes reminders to stay focused on Him, present with Him, humble through Him, and feed His sheep. It has been a journey to find acceptance in the idea of present-moment living—to let the anxieties fade as I draw close to the presence of what God has prepared for me, one day at a time. We can certainly miss the abundant blessings He has for us if we get too far
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ahead of ourselves. For me, before there could be acceptance of this concept, there had to be faith. And before I had faith, there was hope. Hope for a life worth living that was free from addiction to drugs and alcohol. Hope for a relationship with a power greater than myself—God. I have been in recovery from Substance Use Disorder (better known as addiction) for almost eleven years. In my ministry work through my non-profit, SoberNow, I bring hope to others that addicts can and do recover. I share time and time again how God saved me from my desperate suicide attempt on my basement floor at the rock bottom of my disease of addiction. I was a woman who, for decades, turned her back on God. If I did ever go to Him or acknowledge Him, it was more of a desperate plea to get me out of a situation mixed with empty promises—that if He did rescue me, I would be better or do better next time.
