Addiction is an inherently harmful behavior. It is human nature to want to deny the existence of addiction within one’s self, but it is also human nature to be more perceptive than denial and eventually recognize addiction within one’s self. When that time comes, it takes immense strength, courage and support to commit to ending your addiction. One necessary ingredient for addiction recovery, the element that inspires a path of health and purpose over a path of destructiveness, is love.

Love is the feeling that tells us we are valued. Love tells us that it matters if we live or die, cry or rejoice, experience life or hide from it, grow or shrink. Possessing the feeling of reciprocal love is half of winning the battle with addiction because it validates our lives as meaningful. Many people find love in the relationships they have with family and friends. Sadly, some people do not have love in relationships with family and friends, so they seek a support system outside the one they were born into, or accept a lonely existence. There is one type of love that is available to everyone, that is only ever a breath away at any given moment. This is the love of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the living son of God, and God incarnate all in the same. He is the one true God, a God of love, forgiveness and acceptance. Jesus died for us, by our own hand, to serve as a sacrifice and to take the penalty for our sins so that we could be in heaven with God when we die and not face the judgment we deserve. There is no greater kind of love than this. The bible makes it clear that, although Jesus lived and walked the earth 2,000 years ago, the sacrifice he made was for every person who ever lived, because he loves all of us equally and desires what is best for us, as well as our presence in heaven with him.