18 Years: Acts 22

This week I celebrate 18 years of continuous sobriety. That’s a milestone for a couple fo reasons. First, it’s always a milestone to have another year under my belt. Second, the longest stretch of continuous sobriety I had before was 17 years. This comes with mixed feelings and many thoughts.

I owe a large part of this accomplishment to having a relationship with a Higher Power. My Higher Power is Jesus. I’m not ashamed of that. Another part of my success this time around has been the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, especially the experiences provided to me by the various groups and relationships I’ve been a part of. Remembering what life was like before, the situations around my getting sober, and what life has been like since getting sober mirror my salvation story to a great extent. And, that story or testimony follows a pattern long established by the apostle Paul in Acts 22.

There are three parts to Paul’s testimony as stated in Acts 22. Basically the three parts can be outlined like this:

1. Acts 22:3 – Paul’s explaining that he was born a Jew and had the best Jewish education available. His life before Christ.

2.  Acts 22:4-16 – The circumstances of his conversion and reasons why he believed he was called to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

3.  Acts 22:17-21 – Why he went to Gentiles; vindicating his conduct among the Gentiles.

This is Paul’s salvation story: Before, how salvation came, life since.

My salvation story can follow this pattern. Salvation from sins and salvation from alcohol. Basically I was depressed and filled with total despair. I was without hope or plans for the future. I drank to avoid feeling the emotions and experiencing the thought that my life’s purpose was over. I was lonely and had no close friends. I felt separated from God and from other people. I thought there was nothing to live for and was suicidal. I first got sober (in 1978) because someone introduced me to Jesus and that relationship with Him turned my life around. At that time, I now had a relationship with another person (Jill, who shared with me about Jesus) and with Jesus (a loving, caring, helping, all-powerful God). In late 1998, another woman (Cathy) reminded me of that relationship and became a human friend. It took me until the spring to really embrace those relationships, but when I finally did, I was able to stop drinking again and start dealing with the issues plaguing my life. And since then, my relationships with God and other people have continued to develop (with the help of some therapy) and usually I can find hope in the midst of internal turmoil. I also have a sense of purpose I didn’t have before. I can be of aid to others – in their spiritual walks and/or in their recovery from alcoholism. God has used me in the past and I have a certain amount of security as I believe He will use me in the present and future.

There are many other details to the story, but the basics are all there. As I think back on some of the details, I see how God was orchestrating the events in my life to bring me back to Him and to prepare to use me to help others.

So today, as I look back, I also look forward and rejoice in the ways God can use me, if I’m open to His leading and obedient to His Word.