The early days of sobriety can be dark, and it can be hard to understand WHY you still endure so much pain. You’ve made the tough decision to enter into recovery, so why, then, is there still so much anxiety and bitterness on this side of sobriety? Every addict has different reasons for leaving old ways behind and following the new way of recovery, but at the root of it all should be this one, unselfish truth:
You’re worth it.
So with that in mind, here are three reasons that reinforce that truth. Hold these in front of you. Remind yourself of them. Because you’re worth it.
You owe it to yourself to be healthy.
God created humans to be healthy people. This doesn’t mean you’re supposed to spend your entire life doing cardio and eating salads (though those things can be very helpful in moderation!); it means that God desires you to be healthy and operational in your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual capacities. You’ll never be perfect, but you will grow when you strive to become healthier and healthier in as many ways as you can.
When you acknowledge this truth, you can more easily endure the difficult journey to your healthier self. You can keep the reminder in front of your eyes: YOU ARE WORTH IT. All this pain, all this toil, and all this work you’re doing? It’s worth it because YOU’RE worth it.
You’re meant to have a positive impact on the world.
God created all humans with a love for the world around us, and that’s not limited just to friends and family. Everyone is called to care for others. But there’s a little bit of a catch, which we see in Jesus’ instructions in Mark 12:31 (where he repurposes Leviticus 19:18b): “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
You are called to love your neighbors as yourself. But if you don’t love yourself, then what will your love of your neighbors look like? If you hate yourself, treat yourself poorly, skimp on yourself, or shortchange yourself, then that’s the kind of love you’ll have for your neighbors.
This isn’t to say that you need to be selfish. No, those days are over—that’s why you’re in recovery! Loving yourself is another way of reminding yourself that you’re worth it. And when you can do that well, then you’ll have a lasting, positive impact on your neighbors and the wider world.
God says so!
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son…” (John 3:16)
“I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters…” (2 Corinthians 6:18)
“He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-6)
Scripture is packed to the brim with verse after verse about the way God feels about you. Namely, that he loves YOU with an incredible, grace-filled, sacrificial love that you did absolutely nothing to earn or deserve. You know why God loves you? Because he wants to! Because he made you! That’s it!
This is the kind of love where the God of the Universe looks you dead in the eye and says, “You’re worth this.” God loves you, no matter what you’ve done or will do! That alone makes you worth it.
Keep going. Don’t give up. You have his love.
You’re worth it.
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