The Hole Only God Can Fill
What addiction and mental disorder tell a person is that they are broken, unremarkable and without great meaning. Putting more stock in the thought patterns of addiction and mental disorder than in the thought patterns of seeking and praising God result in a tarnished view of one’s self and one’s purpose. If an addict accepts the thoughts and ideas that form in the addicted or afflicted mental faculty, they will not have the hope and will necessary to conquer their addiction. It is imperative for addict’s to embrace God’s message of truth and love that ensures we are beings called to the highest purpose, and that our place in this world is enormously valued.
In the midst of addiction, many people have claimed to have felt a calling, something deeply personal and mysterious. The calling is to recognize what their true identity is; not a servant to alcohol or drugs or some other addictive thing, but a miraculous being that is loved by its creator. This feeling does not occur only in the midst of addiction. The biblical book of Ecclesiastes explains this feeling as something that God wrote within us, a sense for eternity that is laid on our hearts. We have an innate instinct to seek him and his ways although we can not understand him. This inherent quality within us is part of the reason we know we can trust God’s promises.
This God-shaped hole in our hearts is very important to an addict’s recovery. Having true faith and trust in a loving God is a strong reason to fight addiction. Most people who sucumb to addiction do so because they do not see how immensely important it is for them to be a whole person and pursue the deepest questions of their soul. Addiction, often combined with mental disorder, blinds an addict from the truth of their identity in Christ and in God, which is that we are all called to live incredible, meaningful lives of adventure, love and purpose.