Never give up! Some of you have seen the cartoon image of a frog being swallowed by a stork. The frog’s head is unseen as the stork begins to swallow it, BUT, the frog has its hands around the stork’s neck preventing it from eating the frog. The title is simply: “Never give up!”

      The image is funny and inspiring. While I prefer non-violent images the point is a good one. We must use our resources and our resourcefulness for the sake of persevering. However, I find that many people surrender their own creativity and intelligence when faced with a difficult problem. We often think in terms of “win-lose,” or “live-die,” or “all-nothing” dichotomies.

      In fact, we believe that God is a God of many chances and innumerable possibilities. When we say to ourselves or others that the solution is either this OR that, we have reduced the world of many possibilities to two. As creatures of God, made in God’s image and likeness, invited to follow in the footsteps of Jesus the Christ, we must be more hopeful and creative!

      People who are using the 12-Step Method to overcome addictions and habitual vices will tell you that they believe in God or a “higher power” who offers many chances, not just one. So, while those recovering from addictions do not want to fall back into the substance or behavior of their addiction, they also know that if they fail, they have a chance to start again. Some addicts are amazing. They begin their recovery and never fail again. Others struggle through many regressions. Different as those two extremes are, God stays with each one as they attempt to walk the journey of recovery.

      Those of us who are not addicted are still vulnerable to forming bad habits which are hard to change. We can learn from those who invest in the 12-Step process of recovery. Author and priest, Richard Rohr, OFM, wrote a book entitled, Breathing Underwater: Spirituality and the 12 Steps. In it he is not speaking to traditional addicts only. He suggests that we all have addictions. Indeed, he thinks most of us are addicts to our “self.” Societies, too, are addicted to themselves. We need to become more self-aware in order to be liberated, to recover. Christian spirituality is the remedy. A Christ-centered, Gospel-focused life for believers is the way out of our addictive cycles and behaviors.

      Perseverance is necessary for recovery. “Never give up!”

Peace, Fr. Andy