Hello, my name is......

 

This past week I went to my first NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting. I went to be a support to someone who didn't want to go alone. I personally have never experienced the battle of addiction, and I didn't know what to expect. We slipped in quietly and sat at the back of the room....and listened.
   There were maybe around a dozen people there. Male. Female. Teenagers. Twenties. Thirties. And beyond. Several people took turns reading, and then the floor was opened for sharing. Each person who shared introduced him/herself by stating "My name is ________, and I am an addict".
   They spoke quite frankly of how they were managing and coping with their struggle of addiction. They were open about their shortcomings, their thought processes, their failures, their determination, and their realization that they need a "higher power" to help them make changes in order to live a different life, . When they were finished sharing, the entire group verbally said "thank you for sharing" and "keep coming back".  At the end of the meeting, everyone went to the front of the room and stood in a circle with arms wrapped around each other as one person quoted a creed straight from the NA book.
   There was no judgement or negative statements. Instead there were words of encouragement. There was no talking about each other after the meeting was over. Instead there were exchanges of hugs and phone numbers. There was no giving of opinions of how that person should have handled it. Instead there was the recognition that any one of them could very easily slip back into a world of toxic destruction.
   I think that it could be beneficial for Christians to take a lesson from NA. We should recognize that none of us are untouchable. None of us are exempt from struggle.   After all every one of us at one time could have introduced ourselves by saying "My name is _________, and I am a sinner".
   We should be a support to each other. Not judging, but encouraging.  Exchanging hugs and phone numbers. Grabbing onto each other and offering prayers rather than opinions. Reciting from the book that we are using as a guideline to make changes in order to live a different life.


Ephesians 2:8  "For by grace you are saved through faith; and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God".