A New Dawn
Isaiah
60:1-6
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
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This scripture is one of my favorite passages from Isaiah- I live by it! “Arise! Shine! For you light has come!” It speaks of a fresh start- another chance- no matter how broken and worn out I feel, God is bringing light and hope! More than one morning I've woken up and thanked God for another sunrise.
The people Isaiah spoke to were worn out, broken, and wanted to go home. They had previously been stuck in a cycle of trying and failing and trying and failing until they finally just went their own way. They became hopeless- thick in darkness… (I can relate!) It’s not difficult to find yourself in that state- where you are so far into the wilderness that you can’t see a path anymore; everywhere you turn seems strange- unfamiliar- not sure even how to get back if you wanted to…
That was Israel. But somehow, God breaks through the darkness and sends a message to a weary world “Arise! Shine! For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!” And God calls to the people- “Lift up your eyes! Look around! See what God is capable of- and then you shall see and be radiant!”
It’s as if God is saying “Wake up! Stop trying to do it yourselves! It’s a new dawn!” And the light of that new dawn is bright enough where the people lost in their own blackness can begin to find their way back-
To me, this about sums up step one of the twelve steps to recovery. Step 1 is, "Admitting that we are powerless over our addiction; that our lives have become unmanageable." Coming to admit anything about ourselves, negative or even positive, is never an easy process. But coming to admit that we are powerless over something is even more difficult.
We don’t live in that kind of society; in fact we live in a world that tells us the exact opposite- that ‘we have the power to do anything, change anything, be anything!’ We live in America, for crying out loud- land of opportunity- where the message is: ‘we can have the American Dream if we want it! And if we just work hard enough, or change our ways, or think positive, then we can achieve anything. Sure there are those who struggle, even those who have hit rock bottom, but that’s their fault! They have a choice! What they need to do is to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and just try harder! If they're still down, that’s on THEM!’
And I pray that at some time in your life you have known what it’s like to be a “them”…do you know what I mean when I say, "them?" And I don’t care if it’s alcohol abuse or drug addiction that you’re dealing with, or an overeating addiction or over shopping or over consuming; or if you’re trying to stop smoking, or stop looking at porn, or stop fighting with your spouse or stop hitting your kids… or just trying to stop gossiping… or stop judging people…
Hell you can be struggling with anything… in fact, you can be living with someone who has an addiction and that can be just as difficult.
Some of the things we struggle with, of course, we don’t call “addictions,” just "negative behaviors"… those things that serve as an escape… over and over… but we can stop if we wanted to… ahem... (What’s that called again? ) And maybe we don’t go to meetings to talk about them; whether we are too ashamed or too scared or maybe there is no meeting for being addicted to facebook… yet…
Some of our addictions are even considered “positive” addictions…. Like working too hard… or exercising to much… how many of you know someone addicted to achievement?
And I haven’t even mentioned our corporate addictions; meaning, the addictions of our society in which most if not all of us participate... American addiction to oil… our dependence on technology… our fear driven addiction to militarism, or our obsession with imperialism and with being the richest and most powerful nation in the world… our addiction to our own inflated American ego!
If we are honest, we all struggle with and are addicted to something; and most of us with a multitude of things. And when we come to that awareness- when we can admit that about ourselves... that’s when we realize that there actually is no “them.” “Them” is “us”. And that’s a rough realization, when you realize you’re a “them.”
So, let's put that hat on... the "them" hat, that up until now, you have only seen on others. How does it feel?
Between society telling you that you should be stronger, and people telling you you’re just lazy, and others telling you how you can fix yourself….(pull yourself up by your bootstraps!) and then looking in the mirror every morning vowing today will be different, only to cry into that same mirror later on and affirm that you are a failure…
But I will tell you… when that happens, it's then you realize that this “thing” that you are trying so hard to control, is not under your control at all- that whatever it is you are trying to manage- is in fact, unmanageable…and you look for a way out... a map... for a path that has long disappeared, and feel so lost you have no idea how to get back… It feels like you are trapped in a prison of thick darkness.
That is why Step 1 is the first step to freedom. It’s not that in admitting that you can’t handle the problem means you are giving yourself over to the problem- it’s not giving up and saying, “I’m fat I may as well just live with it, pass the pasta...” Instead it is a giving up trying to control it on your own strength… knowing that it’s impossible for you to wish it into happening, or work at it to happen, or just try harder and it will go away. Because as we all know, that stuff ends up just breeding more restriction, more imprisonment.
Admitting we are powerless over our addiction instead, is this: (and this is right off of the 12step.org website: “I admit to myself that something is seriously wrong in my life… I do things that I later regret doing and tell myself that I will not do them again. But I do. I keep on doing them, in spite of my regrets, my denials, my vows, my cover-ups and my facades. The addiction has become bigger than I am. The first step is to admit the truth of where I am, that I am really powerless over this addiction and that I need help.” (from 12step.org)
Sound familiar? It sure does… the Apostle Paul said it this way in chapter 7 of his letter to the church in Rome: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me...who can rescue me from this body of death?”
In other words, Paul was saying that this thing that he struggled with, this thing he called “sin,” whatever it was- was bigger than he was. This was an addiction… whatever it was that Paul wanted to stop doing, he was powerless to do so… And in this admission, Paul (Paul, father of Christianity!) was taking step one in admitting he was powerless over his addiction
And to me, Paul’s admission of powerlessness screams out “there’s hope” for the rest of us. Because in finally admitting that this burden was bigger than he could manage, he was able to put it down, lift up his eyes and reach for light of the new dawn- he was able to let God be everything God could be in his life.
Paul got it! He knew that when we continually try to control anything in our life- and live under the delusion that it is by our power that we succeed or fail, we negate the power of God. We actually block the possibility of wholeness with our own ego! When we are able to step back and admit that we can’t do it on our own… that is when we give God room to be God in our lives!
I don’t know what you’re struggling with today. I don’t know what in your life you’ve tried to get under control by sheer willpower and haven’t been able to manage. I don’t know how long you’ve dealt with it, or how many times you’ve tried putting it down. But I do know that the one who is all powerful sees you, lost, or trapped, in the prison of darkness, and calls out to you.
Arise! Shine! For you light has come… and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
Arise! Shine! Stop trying to do this yourself!
Arise! Shine! lift up your eyes- look around! No matter how far gone you are, God has sent the light of a new dawn for
you to follow… See what God is capable of- and then you shall see and be radiant!”
Photo: "Epiphany" Winner 2005 Recovery Arts Festival, Best in Acrylic, Artist's name unknown to me. If you have info on this pic, please contact me so I can give him/her credit.
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
********************************************************************************
This scripture is one of my favorite passages from Isaiah- I live by it! “Arise! Shine! For you light has come!” It speaks of a fresh start- another chance- no matter how broken and worn out I feel, God is bringing light and hope! More than one morning I've woken up and thanked God for another sunrise.
The people Isaiah spoke to were worn out, broken, and wanted to go home. They had previously been stuck in a cycle of trying and failing and trying and failing until they finally just went their own way. They became hopeless- thick in darkness… (I can relate!) It’s not difficult to find yourself in that state- where you are so far into the wilderness that you can’t see a path anymore; everywhere you turn seems strange- unfamiliar- not sure even how to get back if you wanted to…
That was Israel. But somehow, God breaks through the darkness and sends a message to a weary world “Arise! Shine! For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!” And God calls to the people- “Lift up your eyes! Look around! See what God is capable of- and then you shall see and be radiant!”
It’s as if God is saying “Wake up! Stop trying to do it yourselves! It’s a new dawn!” And the light of that new dawn is bright enough where the people lost in their own blackness can begin to find their way back-
To me, this about sums up step one of the twelve steps to recovery. Step 1 is, "Admitting that we are powerless over our addiction; that our lives have become unmanageable." Coming to admit anything about ourselves, negative or even positive, is never an easy process. But coming to admit that we are powerless over something is even more difficult.
We don’t live in that kind of society; in fact we live in a world that tells us the exact opposite- that ‘we have the power to do anything, change anything, be anything!’ We live in America, for crying out loud- land of opportunity- where the message is: ‘we can have the American Dream if we want it! And if we just work hard enough, or change our ways, or think positive, then we can achieve anything. Sure there are those who struggle, even those who have hit rock bottom, but that’s their fault! They have a choice! What they need to do is to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and just try harder! If they're still down, that’s on THEM!’
And I pray that at some time in your life you have known what it’s like to be a “them”…do you know what I mean when I say, "them?" And I don’t care if it’s alcohol abuse or drug addiction that you’re dealing with, or an overeating addiction or over shopping or over consuming; or if you’re trying to stop smoking, or stop looking at porn, or stop fighting with your spouse or stop hitting your kids… or just trying to stop gossiping… or stop judging people…
Hell you can be struggling with anything… in fact, you can be living with someone who has an addiction and that can be just as difficult.
Some of the things we struggle with, of course, we don’t call “addictions,” just "negative behaviors"… those things that serve as an escape… over and over… but we can stop if we wanted to… ahem... (What’s that called again? ) And maybe we don’t go to meetings to talk about them; whether we are too ashamed or too scared or maybe there is no meeting for being addicted to facebook… yet…
Some of our addictions are even considered “positive” addictions…. Like working too hard… or exercising to much… how many of you know someone addicted to achievement?
And I haven’t even mentioned our corporate addictions; meaning, the addictions of our society in which most if not all of us participate... American addiction to oil… our dependence on technology… our fear driven addiction to militarism, or our obsession with imperialism and with being the richest and most powerful nation in the world… our addiction to our own inflated American ego!
If we are honest, we all struggle with and are addicted to something; and most of us with a multitude of things. And when we come to that awareness- when we can admit that about ourselves... that’s when we realize that there actually is no “them.” “Them” is “us”. And that’s a rough realization, when you realize you’re a “them.”
So, let's put that hat on... the "them" hat, that up until now, you have only seen on others. How does it feel?
Between society telling you that you should be stronger, and people telling you you’re just lazy, and others telling you how you can fix yourself….(pull yourself up by your bootstraps!) and then looking in the mirror every morning vowing today will be different, only to cry into that same mirror later on and affirm that you are a failure…
But I will tell you… when that happens, it's then you realize that this “thing” that you are trying so hard to control, is not under your control at all- that whatever it is you are trying to manage- is in fact, unmanageable…and you look for a way out... a map... for a path that has long disappeared, and feel so lost you have no idea how to get back… It feels like you are trapped in a prison of thick darkness.
That is why Step 1 is the first step to freedom. It’s not that in admitting that you can’t handle the problem means you are giving yourself over to the problem- it’s not giving up and saying, “I’m fat I may as well just live with it, pass the pasta...” Instead it is a giving up trying to control it on your own strength… knowing that it’s impossible for you to wish it into happening, or work at it to happen, or just try harder and it will go away. Because as we all know, that stuff ends up just breeding more restriction, more imprisonment.
Admitting we are powerless over our addiction instead, is this: (and this is right off of the 12step.org website: “I admit to myself that something is seriously wrong in my life… I do things that I later regret doing and tell myself that I will not do them again. But I do. I keep on doing them, in spite of my regrets, my denials, my vows, my cover-ups and my facades. The addiction has become bigger than I am. The first step is to admit the truth of where I am, that I am really powerless over this addiction and that I need help.” (from 12step.org)
Sound familiar? It sure does… the Apostle Paul said it this way in chapter 7 of his letter to the church in Rome: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me...who can rescue me from this body of death?”
In other words, Paul was saying that this thing that he struggled with, this thing he called “sin,” whatever it was- was bigger than he was. This was an addiction… whatever it was that Paul wanted to stop doing, he was powerless to do so… And in this admission, Paul (Paul, father of Christianity!) was taking step one in admitting he was powerless over his addiction
And to me, Paul’s admission of powerlessness screams out “there’s hope” for the rest of us. Because in finally admitting that this burden was bigger than he could manage, he was able to put it down, lift up his eyes and reach for light of the new dawn- he was able to let God be everything God could be in his life.
Paul got it! He knew that when we continually try to control anything in our life- and live under the delusion that it is by our power that we succeed or fail, we negate the power of God. We actually block the possibility of wholeness with our own ego! When we are able to step back and admit that we can’t do it on our own… that is when we give God room to be God in our lives!
I don’t know what you’re struggling with today. I don’t know what in your life you’ve tried to get under control by sheer willpower and haven’t been able to manage. I don’t know how long you’ve dealt with it, or how many times you’ve tried putting it down. But I do know that the one who is all powerful sees you, lost, or trapped, in the prison of darkness, and calls out to you.
Arise! Shine! For you light has come… and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
Arise! Shine! Stop trying to do this yourself!
Arise! Shine! lift up your eyes- look around! No matter how far gone you are, God has sent the light of a new dawn for
you to follow… See what God is capable of- and then you shall see and be radiant!”
Photo: "Epiphany" Winner 2005 Recovery Arts Festival, Best in Acrylic, Artist's name unknown to me. If you have info on this pic, please contact me so I can give him/her credit.