Dear Addict,
I love you. You are a fearfully and wonderfully created being, made in the image of God. You are deeply cared for, and unconditionally loved, not only by myself, but by God. Jesus loves you so much, we suffered and die for you, and even knowing the worst things you’ve done, He would do it again without blinking. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus is your friend, you’re not alone any more.
My friend, myself, I love you. I know that you’ve been trying to take care of me all this time, and I know that you’ve not known any better way. We’ve gotten ourselves into some fun situations in our time, haven’t we, and some crazy ones too. But we’ve also hurt ourselves, and other people, because we never learnt how to cope with life like adults do, and we never learnt how to be a child either.
Then, I’ve got great news for you, we have a parent. We have a teacher. We have a guide. We have a friend. We have a brother. One that is perfect. One that loves us for who we are. One that has written our name on His hands and will never forget us. We don’t have to struggle along alone, muddling through on our instincts and broken thinking. We have a guide who will teach us to be a child again, and teach us to grow into a loving father, husband and adult. Who is this friend? Who can be all these things to us?
Why, of course, God, Father Son and Holy Ghost:
“He is the Teacher of mankind, and its Redeemer. He was born, he died and he rose again for us. He is the centre of history and of the world; he is the one who knows us and who loves us; he is the companion and the friend of our life. He is the man of sorrows and of hope. It is he who will come and who one day will be our judge and – we hope -the everlasting fullness of our existence, our happiness. I could never finish speaking about him: he is the light and the truth; indeed, he is «the way, the truth and the life» (Io. 14: 6). He is the bread and the spring of living water to satisfy our hunger and our thirst. He is our shepherd, our guide, our model, our comfort, our brother. Like us, and more than us, he has been little, poor, humiliated; he has been a worker; he has known misfortune and been patient. For our sake he spoke, worked miracles and founded a new kingdom where the poor are happy, where peace is the principle for living together, where the pure of heart and those who mourn are raised up and comforted, where those who hunger and thirst after justice have their fill, where sinners can be forgiven, where all are brothers.”
My friend, we’ve been alone for too long. Believe on the name Jesus Christ, and receive healing. He didn’t come for good people, he came for us, for sinners, to call us to repentance. I have heard his call, and I am following Him, and I don’t want to leave you behind. I can’t. You are part of me. You are me. I am you. I can’t be a whole person without you, and indeed, in you is the key to my healing, and to the healing of others through our recovery.
Know then that:
1. You are loved unconditionally.
2. You are forgiven already, before you asked.
3. You have an open invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb, and you are the guest of honour!
Our father waits for us. He peers down the driveway each day looking for us. The ring of sonship which we caste away is in his pocket. He has kept our cloak and our robe clean and tidy, for the day he will reclaim us as his own.
The party won’t be the same without you dude.
Bless
N