Yay for Antivirals!!

Thanks for your thoughts and concerns!!

(A recurring theme?)


I think I'm finally "flu-free" and ready to catch up on all those "lost" study hours. The one thing about being sick is it gives you time to think....and think and think and think. So one of the things I've been thinking about is something I heard in my Psychiatry class last week: Addiction. It's something so prevalent that chances are, you or someone else in the room with you, has dealt with it or will deal with it at some point in your life. For part of a class last year, we had to attend an AA meeting. I must say it was a powerful experience watching men and women, young and old, openly talk about that which had taken over your lives. Of course, as part of the meeting the 12 Steps were presented which I have listed below for your convenience (emphasis mine):

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, and to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We're entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

That being said, I began thinking that these twelve steps would apply perfectly to sinners, ie a type of "Sinners Anonymous," especially considering many sins evolve from or into a form of addiction (alcoholism, drugs, food, pride, self-worship/adoration, sex, control, jealousy, internet, TV, sports, work, beauty, shopping, laziness, are you feeling uncomfortable yet?) In fact, many of these steps have Biblical basis, yet many of us have never admitted our sins/addictions to others or apologized or extended forgiveness for the ill effects they may have caused.

Why is it perfectly acceptable to talk about the latest Christian rock band, mission trip, church event, yet talking about someone's sin/addiction brings on a sense of indignant rage? How dare we not praise someone for giving up a week of their life to go serve the poor in Central America, yet how dare we confront that same person about their problem with ____.

Is this Biblical?

Aren't we supposed to build each other up, but at the same time hold each other accountable so that we can continue to draw near to God? And what about that verse in James (5:16) that directly links the confession of sins to healing? Just as addiction to alcohol or other substances can have physical repercussions, so can spiritual addictions/sins.

So why is it that non-Christians can meet faithfully week after week to support each other and help overcome each others' addictions, but oftentimes belittling gossip starts flying whenever Christians try to do the same? Is it really an odd concept to bear the title of "sinner?" Isn't that what we all share in common? Is it really just not in the Christian's "job description" anymore to admit to God that which has taken control of our lives, to confess to others our specific wrongdoings, and to ask for forgiveness and to continually do so?

Just something to think about.