[324 words]
You’ve probably watched a few programs on TV. or heard of them where families make interventions for a loved one who has an addiction problem. Years of coddling a child, friend, or loved one who has an addiction, only adds to the problem. It seems that the sooner a person hits rock‐bottom the sooner they may possibly make the turn to sobriety and clean living.
It’s hard to say no to people. That’s why so many remain addicted because people who care about them don’t want them suffer. Whether it is food, shelter, clothing, etc., we just can’t see the harm we do when we offer assistance to a person out of control. An addict is an emotional leech. He/she feeds and survives on appealing to the emotions of others while feeding their addictions.
So, what do Christians do who are confronted with people who are addicted or caught up in destructive behavior? We must remember who we are and act accordingly. We must always care for the downtrodden, orphans, widows, etc. We must care for their souls first and foremost. Of course to get to the spiritual, sometimes we must take care of their physical needs. If caring for them physically means that we are enabling them to continue their destructive behavior, we must stop. Often addicts do illegal things. As Christians we must remember that we can’t be part of that!
We must reach out to people who can help with the addict’s problems. It may cost us some time and money, if the person with the problem is willing to make a change. What we can’t do is continue to enable them and just hope for the best. It never works, it just prolongs the problem. Please think about this, as we probably all know someone in a similar situation. We must follow God’s principles and His word. We must help if we can but not enable bad behavior.
Chris Moore
Clarendon, TX