“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.” (Psalm 118:24, NAB)
What’s bugging you today? I’ll bet it’s something that happened in the past. Or maybe the future isn’t turning out the way you planned. But the future isn’t here yet, and the past is gone. All you have is the present moment. Today. Why not rejoice and be grateful for it? After all, the Lord made it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t work toward a better future. You can. And I’ll tell you how to do that later in this blog post. But first, appreciate this day and how far you’ve come on your healing journey as the Christian parent of an addicted child.
What probably bugs you most about addiction is the lack of control. It doesn’t matter how much you want to control everything. You can’t. So let go. You’ll only succeed at what you can control.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34, NKJV)
This scripture tells you exactly what you control. You control how often you seek the righteousness of God every day. You control how often you thank God for the blessings he gives you every day.
After you’ve rejoiced over this day, sought the righteousness of God, and thanked him for his daily blessings, begin to praise him. Praise is a Christian’s secret weapon.
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.’ Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” (2 Chronicles 20:21-22, NKJV)
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” (Acts 16:25-26, NKJV)
What you can’t control is every aspect of your child’s addiction. But what you can control is mighty powerful. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice! Then praise your way into tomorrow. When you do, you’ll make it an even better day than today.
Think about it. Now anything is possible. That’s Godly success. Don’t you love it?!
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Are you the parent of a child addicted to drugs or alcohol? The emotional rollercoaster of addiction is not God’s best for you or your family. Dave Cooke is an Addiction Coach and an internationally recognized speaker. Let him show you how to move your family back on track in a healthier direction by applying Christian principles. To contact Dave for private coaching, go to http://www.100pedals.com/coaching/ or email [email protected]. You’ll be amazed what a difference an hour with Dave can make in your life!
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