CDT04 | The First Step Toward Health & Healing
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CDT04 | The First Step Toward Health & Healing
Date: January 31, 2022
Welcome back to the podcast, and the series we are in called: Conscience Driven Therapy.
Today we leave behind the things we CANNOT control, and we get to move into the good stuff - the things we CAN control.
This is where CDT really shines. Today we start discussing the things we're able to do as we move toward health and healing.
Conscience Driven Therapy
Learning to Transcend the Human Condition
PART I: THINGS WE CANNOT CONTROL
Chapter 1: A Lot of Things Came Before Us
Chapter 2: We Were Sent In a Specific Direction
Chapter 3: There Were Landmines & Minefields Along the Way
PART II: THINGS WE CAN CONTROL
Chapter 4: The First Step Toward Health & Healing
Chapter 5: Hold On to the Good - Release the Bad
Chapter 6: Locus of Control & ETOTO
Chapter 7: Understanding the Battle
Chapter 8: Knowing Is Half the Battle
Chapter 9: Transcend Human
Chapter 10: Becoming a CDT Ambassador
Minute of Transparency: Is Conscience Driven Therapy (CDT) right for me?
So as we move into the meat of the book, and start talking about our role in this self help framework, or therapy model, it's the perfect time to address some of the elephants in the room...
So let's work through these elephants quickly:
Elephant 1: Is CDT for everyone?
Simple answer is no
CDT is at it's core a Christian based approach - so people who don't identify as Christian will probably find it difficult to accept some of the things discussed
CDT is also similar to CBT and REBT in that it is a highly cognitive treatment modality:
Meaning - there is a lot of thinking involved
Namely, "thinking about our thinking"
A lot of self analysis which requires a pretty high level of cognitive functioning
Because of this - CDT's effectiveness spikes when used by high functioning adults
Children, or lower functioning adults may find it difficult to understand some of the concepts presented
Elephant 2: Is CDT able to address every possible mental health disorder?
Again, the simple answer is no
Since CDT is similar to CBT and REBT - it follows that it should be useful in treating the same types of disorders
According to the Mayo Clinic, CBT is useful in dealing with the following:
Depression
Anxiety disorders
Phobias
PTSD
Sleep disorders
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Substance use disorders
Bipolar disorders
Schizophrenia
Sexual disorders
Now that's a pretty broad spectrum...and there are a few on there I'm not 100% sure about
The CBT Clinic itself explains that severe forms of depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may not be suitable to this type of therapy
So again, we can probably summarize that CDT is suitable to quite a few of the common mental health issues we face in the world today - especially those that have risen to the surface since the pandemic started
Elephant 3: Is CDT appropriate for therapy sessions?
My wife and I were talking through this the other day
The question was: Can a clinician actually use CDT in therapy sessions with clients?
If you are a clinician you understand the question
At issue is the fact that CDT has the spiritual component
It flat out says, "You have to make decisions about things like God, Satan, the Controversy, the Sin Virus, etc.
And...CDT has a very specific view of each of those things
So as a clinician - if CDT was used in therapy - wouldn't that be considered unethical?
And this is why I refer to it as an elephant in the room...
Because the answer is yes:
If you are a clinician, and you "force" a client to walk through CDT - you would be unethically pushing a religious belief system upon them in a difficult time in their life. They may be more impressionable or susceptible to your direction in this time of their life - which makes it important to allow them to come to conclusions on their own. This improves their locus of control and allows them to feel more confident in their ability to self moderate in the future
So does this mean you can't use CDT as a clinician?
Not at all - you just have to be really careful as to when it's appropriate
If you work as a general clinician in a non-Christian or non-religious hospital or clinic - I would stay away from it
If you hang a shingle over your door that says you are a "Christian Counselor" - you have a lot more leeway. It is assumed that you will use clinical tools that involve spiritual concepts
And CDT doesn't have to be used in it's complete form
Just as CBT don't use every clinical tool ever made for CBT, so too, you don't have to use every little piece of CDT with your clients. You can pick and choose the tools and exercises that they seem to gravitate toward
And finally - I would take the "Christian Counselor" thing one step further...
If I was going to use CDT in my practice - I would for sure explain that on my website - or include it in my professional bio
This way a client is fully aware of the fact that CDT could be used in therapy
And it's up to them if they decide to engage in counseling with you or not
No different than saying you provide psychoanalysis - and a client deciding that isn't for them in advance
Okay - enough with the elephants...
But they are important to be sure.
As we get farther and farther into this - we need to be clear that CDT is NOT a blanket treatment model for everyone, everywhere. It's not a global easy button. Just offer this to everyone you meet and they will be fixed of all their problems the minute they read it.
So now that we have that straight - let's jump into the content for today...
Chapter 4: The First Step Toward Health & Healing
The Conscience Driven Therapy Niche
The Eternal Election and the Antidote to the Sin Virus
Understanding Our Value
// 1. THE CONSCIENCE DRIVEN THERAPY NICHE
Let me start by saying this segment could be an entire episode...but since we don't have time for that I'll try to squeeze it in here as simply as possible...
It's important stuff, because it helps us understand the clinical roots of CDT. The spiritual and psychological landscape it grew out of.
Like we discussed in Chapter 1, Conscience Driven Therapy is directly tied to Controversy Theory:
It is the obvious next step
It is the action steps after the theory
The "how" after hearing the "why"
And we also discussed the fact that CT and CDT are based on a Christian world view. Hence, the content in Chapter 1 of this series - which included information on God, Satan, the Fall, the Controversy, the Sin Virus, etc.
If that wasn't a clue - you probably weren't paying attention 🙂
But what I want to do next is discuss the other side of the coin. The psychology behind CDT. And how it stacks up against some of the more popular treatment modalities, or forms of therapy offered in the world today:
What makes it unique?
What makes it similar?
What it does that other therapies cannot do?
Things like that...
Now we're not going to walk through every flavor of therapy and do a point-by-point comparison. Though it might be fun to do that at some point in the future...
For now, let's look at some of the more popular therapies. The mainstream flavors if you will according to TalkSpace.com:
Client Centered Therapy (Also referred to as "Rogerian Therapies" started by Carl Rogers)
Very focused on the client
Non-directive
Therapist spends a lot of time encouraging the client to work through their situation from all angles
The therapist typically provides high levels of empathy throughout this process
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Therapist is much more active in this treatment process
Main focus is on dysfunctional thinking and how it leads to maladaptive behavior and unhealthy negative emotions
The Big Idea: By changing your thinking, your behaving and your emotional state will improve
Rational Emotive behavior Therapy (REBT)
Good example of this style of therapy
Existential Therapy (Humanistic family of therapies)
Main focus here is on our existence
And our personal journey through life
Managing things like isolation, meaninglessness, mortality and freedom
Gestalt Therapy is a good example
Main focus is on the present
And recognizing your attitudes, feelings and perceptions rather than your interpretations
Psychoanalysis or Psychodynamic Therapy
Huge focus on the unconscious - or underlying motivations
Very old form of therapy based on Sigmund Freud's original work
Not used very often these days
Dialectic Behavior Therapy
Similar to CBT
Big focus on problem solving and acceptance
Also focuses on managing emotions and interpersonal relationships
So there you go - some of the top forms of therapy today.
If you decide to see a therapist there is a good chance they might fall into one of these categories.
Now TalkSpace.com goes on to list a bunch of other "Less Common Therapies." And while we won't go into these - there is one that stuck out - one that we probably need to talk about.
It's called Bibliotherapy - and TalkSpace.com describes it as a form of therapy "...using literature to improve mental health and explore psychological issues."
That's very vague - but in my experience this typically refers to religious or spiritual counselors who use their "sacred text" to set their clients straight:
So for example: A Christian pastor would mainly use the Bible when working with a client
Or a Rabbi would use the Torah to help explain correct behavior
Or an Imam would use the Quran
And not just the spiritual leaders of the church - but clinicians, counselors and therapists who strongly identify with these religious beliefs may also use these sacred texts with their clients in order to set boundaries, and suggest appropriate ways to think or behave
So why is this important?
Well, because it will help us see where Conscience Driven Therapy fits into this world of mental health treatment.
So let's go back to my original question - the one that led me to research and eventually write Controversy Theory.
I had just left grad school and was ready to dive into my field as a clinician. But quickly became disillusioned when I started working with people. Simple explanation:
There seemed to be two different sandboxes I could play in:
I could call myself a traditional clinician - but only if I checked my spiritual beliefs at the door
Or, I could call myself a Christian clinician and it was expected that I would check most of my traditional treatment modalities at the door and simply use the Bible in therapy sessions
See my dilemma?
In my head - this didn't make sense. I wanted both - because I saw both as important.
It would be like having to make a choice between religion OR science - but not being able to have both.
To me that doesn't compute. I am a spiritual being. But I also believe in science!
I believe God created our little planet using science and math - and that when we get to Heaven we'll get to see the full complexity of what science and math really are - and how they really work!
And in the same way - I wanted my spirituality and the science of psychology to work together.
But just as our political system has become polarized - so too was the field of mental health. I felt like I was being forced to pick a side. To only play for one team.
And since I wasn't willing to do this - I ran into some serious problems. I got to the place where I had to figure some things out on my own. I had to put my thoughts and ideas on paper in order to get a good look at them.
Which led to Controversy Theory - the high level theory I wrote back when I was still in the field. And eventually Conscience Driven Therapy - which is the practical application we're talking about right now.
Believe it or not, at some point (after writing CT) I left the mental health field all together - and pursued a career in web development.
Apparently I was never able to reconcile the issues I faced. At least not in the field - while working as a clinician.
However, from this vantage point - no longer being knee deep in the field of counseling - I found a new sense of freedom. The ability to document my research as a Big Idea. I can write about it, talk about it on the podcast, and people can take it or leave it.
Very different from the therapist-client relationship where your obligation is to NOT push your ideas on the person seeking help - especially your spiritual and religious beliefs.
But let's get back to CDT and how it stacks up against those other treatment modalities we talked about:
We're going to flip the order and start with Bibliotherapy:
Bibliotherapy - for the Christian - means having the Bible forced down your throat
Or maybe you could describe it as being beat over the head with the Bible
Now I know - that sounds a little harsh - especially coming from a person who believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God!
But I put it this way because there is a healthy way to use the Bible - and an unhealthy way
Unfortunately, I've seen and heard stories about the unhealthy side when it comes to Bibliotherapy:
One example of this:
I had a friend who was feeling depressed so he went to see a pastor at his local church
Now this wasn't the Senior Pastor, or even a speaking pastor, it was the Pastor of Care & Counseling
So someone who should know a little bit about counseling - you'd assume
In the first counseling session, the pastor spent the entire hour reading my friend verses out of the Bible
Verses about joy, and being joyful
Along with verses that suggested if you weren't joyful - you must be doing something wrong - or sinning in some way
Needless to say, my friend left the office feeling worse than when he entered!
Unfortunately, this seems to be a pretty common story when it comes to straight up Christian Bibliotherapy
Not a lot of empathy
Not a lot of talk about the persons upbringing or their life circumstances
No talk about trauma and how it might be impacting the person
Just, "Read your Bible and be joyful!"
Now I know - I'm only scratching the surface here - and being a little judgmental. Stereotypical at best...
And I understand that there are excellent Bibliotherapists out there right now fuming about my portrayal of their work
Because it is one-sided, and for this I apologize
I believe there are amazing clinicians using the Bible as the source of truth, and at the same time showing the care and concern required to be a helpful clinician
And that's great - so we'll leave it there for now
But to summarize: CDT cannot simply be Bibliotherapy - using Bible verse after Bible verse to "fix a person" in the clinical setting:
It needs to be more than that
It needs to function the way a pastor does when he or she takes a passage of scripture and brings it to life - with new revelations the average person never saw before
Or the way an Evangelist takes Bible Prophecy and tries to simplify it so people new to faith are able to get on board without getting a PhD first...
Next, let's talk about the more common therapies we mentioned earlier:
Client Centered Therapy (Rogerian Therapies)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Rational Emotive behavior Therapy (REBT)
Existential (or Humanistic) Therapy
Gestalt Therapy
Psychoanalysis
Dialectic Behavior Therapy
The obvious thing we need to understand about these therapies - is that they are meant to exist and operate outside of the spiritual realm.
In fact - their names even point this out on some level:
"Client Centered:" In other words - it's all about you
"Cognitive Behavioral:" It's all about your thinking and your behaving
"Humanistic:" That doesn't need much explaining does it?
"Psychoanalysis:" Basically analyzing a person's conscious and unconscious mind
Looking at them from that perspective, it should be easy to see why we have the polarization between the two sides.
Traditional Christians view psychology as science that does not need God. A field of scientific research attempting to replace God with human knowledge and self awareness.
So on some level - they have a point.
But, this is where CDT comes long and says, "Can't we all just get along?"
Why can't we work together?
Why can't the Bible be a thing?
And the science behind the way our brains work also be a thing?
Not at the expense of one or the other - but taking the best of both and creating something new!
And what would it look like if this happened?
I would suggest - it could look a lot like Conscience Driven Therapy...
I know - that was a very long explanation - and I'm sorry for that. But I think it's helpful to know where CDT came from - and that it's not just a variation on a theme:
It's NOT a new form of Bibliotherapy for Christian counselors
And it's NOT a slightly modified humanistic approach to therapy like Client Centered Therapy, CBT or REBT
Conscience Driven Therapy is a combined, or integrated treatment modality:
One that is built on the foundation of the Bible (Spiritual element)
And one that leverages our God given ability to analyze our thinking and behaving in order to make significant change in our lives (Psychological element)
This makes CDT very unique - and very powerful at the same time. Because it has what most of traditional treatment models don't have - a “why” behind the “what.”
// 2. THE ETERNAL ELECTION AND THE ANTIDOTE TO THE SIN VIRUS
So quick reminder - we've moved from the things we CANNOT control to the things we CAN.
And this is where the rubber meets the road:
We've discussed all of the things that exist outside our control
We've talked about the galactic battle, the sin virus, our DNA, and negative things that happened to us in the past
We've admitted that some of those things may have produced a level of trauma in our lives
Trauma that will impact us in some way in the present and future
But this is where things start to get good. Because this is where our thinking and behaving start to matter. Where we get to exercise our freedom of choice - and determine how we want our lives to play out.
We have a LOT of ground to cover in the next 7 chapters - but this week we start with the most important decisions we can make.
Foundational decisions that will set the stage for everything that comes next.
So let's go back to a couple of the core elements from Controversy Theory. Specifically:
The idea that there is an Eternal Election going on - one that we must vote in
And the idea that there is an Antidote available for the Sin Virus - one that we must choose to receive
But first - let's talk about the Eternal Election...
The election illustration takes the spotlight off the battle between God and Satan - and directly speaks to our Freedom of Choice in that battle. This idea that we aren't being forced one way or the other. Though Satan tries his hardest to use that tactic whenever possible.
But no - at the end of the day - we have Freedom of Choice:
We get to vote for one candidate or the other
It's an Eternal Election because our decisions have eternal consequences
Unlike here on Earth where candidates get a few years in office
Our vote in the Eternal Election will have forever consequences
Now in previous episodes we discussed these forever consequences - and the fact that they are nothing like the consequences of an Earthly Election.
In this country - Presidential Elections are typically between two individuals - and you choose between the two. If your candidate loses - you simply have to wait another 4-8 years to vote again. But the fact that you lost - doesn't really even impact you. Life continues on - you have the same job, you still have your family, you still drive cars, you still go to the movies, you still get to choose your own religious or spiritual beliefs.
See what I mean? Even though we've become super polarized since the last election - life is still going on for most people like it did 4 years ago. Give or take a few things here and there thanks to COVID-19...
But in the Eternal Election it isn't like this at all. In fact, looking at the two outcomes - you'd think everyone would be on the same side! It's literally that lopsided.
Here's what I'm talking about. In the Eternal Election:
If we choose God:
We are saved from the cycle of death that exists on Earth
In essence, it is a "Get out of jail free card"
And you can look at jail as being death, and having no future to look forward to
So with God, death is not the end and we get to live forever with Him - the Divine Being that saw fit to create us in the first place
Now if we choose Satan:
We're joining forces with an angry, vengeful being that knows he has no future
Satan already voted in the Eternal Election and lost - by choosing to run against the God who created him!
And he wants nothing more than to get as many of us to join him in his rebellion as possible
Unfortunately, death is still the final event in this scenario
There is no "Get out of jail free card"
When death arrives for you and me - it is the end - the forever end
And then there is the third option:
Some people just opt out of the election - and choose not to vote
They say, "I'm not part of that Eternal Election you're talking about so leave me alone!"
But unfortunately these people are blinded to the truth that we're all part of it
Nobody gets a free pass
And choosing not to vote is actually a vote in disguise
It's a vote for Satan because for the time being - he is the ruler of this world
So the only way NOT to vote for Satan is to see God's offer for what it is - and choose Him over Satan
Again - this seems like a no-brainer:
Eternal life with our Creator
Eternal separation from our Creator because of death
But it's not that black and white. Obviously - or everyone would be joining Team God.
So what's going on? Why does it seem like so many people are on the fence in this Eternal Election?
That, my friend, is a question with eternal significance. And one that is not easily answered.
I mean I guess I could hypothesize. It could be things like:
Some people still haven't heard it presented like this
Some people still don't know they have the option to vote
Some people don't view God the way I do - and can't imagine having to live forever with Him
And still others are just too busy to care - too busy living for the scratch...
Now, I should probably explain what I mean by the "scratch"...
I first heard this presented in church, back in Indiana. It was during a weekend message series and has stuck with me ever since - because of the illustration the speaker used to make his point:
On the stage there was a white rope
It stretched all the way from one side of the stage to the other - and was about waist high
You couldn't see where it started, or where it ended because it went off stage behind the curtain in both directions
This was intentional - and you'll understand why here in a minute
The speaker discussed the rope as God't timeline - the infinite amount of time that has existed and will exist into the future
The rope itself illustrated the lack of time - or the fact that God exists outside our understanding of time - where there are beginnings and endings
In His universe - time isn't a thing - He has always existed and always will exist
Next, the speaker took a Sharpie and walked to the middle of the stage
Using the marker, he made a thin, black line on the rope - just big enough so you could see it from your seat in the auditorium
He called it the "scratch" and explained that this is your life
The 70+ years you get to exist in comparison to the rope of infinite time
Then he went on to flesh out the illustration:
How crazy it is that our lives amount to such a small scratch on the infinite timeline
How crazy it is that our Creator views us as valuable and important enough to try and save us
And how crazy it is that so many of us fall into the habit of living for the scratch
Living like the 70+ years is all we get
So live it up - grab all you can grab - and don't think much deeper than that
I thought it was a great illustration to keep me grounded - and to keep me from getting too caught up on the scratch itself.
But it's also a good illustration as to why the Eternal Election is so important:
If you are living for the scratch - the Eternal Election may not seem like that big of a deal
But if you see your life as just a scratch - the Eternal Election becomes all the more important
In this scenario, you can't imagine living one, small life and calling it good
Because you see the possibility of living forever - an eternity of lives in an even more desirable setting
Okay - so the next choice we need to make after we've voted in the Eternal Election is actually part of that vote...
I split them out because I want you to see the importance of each part.
But at the end of the day, if you choose God in the Eternal Election, you are choosing to accept the Antidote to the Sin Virus.
In CT, and in Chapter 1 of CDT we talked about the Sin Virus. That nasty little bug that was found in Lucifer, came to Earth with Satan, and was passed to humankind when we fell for Satan's diabolical scheme to use us as his pawns in the Controversy.
And unfortunately, the Sin Virus is 10x more effective than COVID-19. In fact it's so effective - it has a 100% infection rate. And - though we don't die quickly - the rate of death from the Sin Virus is hovering around 100%.
Not to mention the impact the Sin Virus had on our little planet. What was once a shining jewel in the universe, has quickly become a deteriorating mass of infected elements. Not just the elements themselves, but also deteriorating because of the stress we put on the environment with our behavior, and thirst for innovation and advancement.
Combined, it has caused this deterioration to advance rapidly - with the obvious result being death. Just as we all succumb to the Sin Virus - so too, the Earth itself is on a collision course with extinction.
Unless God steps in first - and keeps us from that eventuality.
But I don't want to talk about the effects of the Sin Virus in this section. That was just a summary to make sure we're all on the same page.
Where I want to go with this section is much more positive:
It's the light at the end of the tunnel
The needle in the haystack
The pearl you find after opening thousands of clam shells
This positive thing is nothing less than the Antidote to the Sin Virus.
And like we said, it goes hand in hand with our vote in the Eternal Election.
Because if we vote for God in the Eternal Election - we're also accepting His free gift - which is the Antidote to the Sin Virus.
Now let's review the title of this chapter real quick: Chapter 4: The First Step Toward Health & Healing
As we discussed - this is the first chapter on the things we CAN control.
And these are two of the most important choices we need to make in order to grab the reins of our lives and head the horse in the right direction.
And this is where we start: Voting in the Eternal Election and accepting the Antidote to the Sin Virus.
Now I know...this may be a sticking point for many people. Especially people who do not consider themselves Christians...
Because what we're talking about is a very "Christian" thing to do:
First, admitting you believe in God
Second, actually putting your money where your mouth is and trusting Him with your life
But friends - we can't start this section of the book any other way.
I can't play it down, or spin it in such a way as to generalize it, or make it more acceptable to a wider audience.
At the end of the day I didn't write CDT so it would be palatable for the widest possible audience. I wrote CDT because I believe it is the truth.
And part of that truth is that we'll never make real progress in life until we answer the Big 3 Questions - which come straight out of Controversy Theory:
Where did we come from? (A question of Origin)
Why are we here? (A question of Purpose)
Where are we going? (A question of Destiny or Destination)
Now obviously - CDT believes very specific things about those three questions:
Creation - that a loving God created us
To have a relationship with our Creator and enjoy the life He gave us
Where we go is a direct result of our Vote in the Eternal Election and whether or not we accept the Antidote to the Sin Virus
These are foundational to anything else we do in life.
We MUST figure these things out for ourselves - then after that - anything is possible...
Now, before we leave this section I wanted to discuss two important things related to accepting the Antidote:
The Antidote doesn't change the Human Condition:
When we accept the Antidote - life is still hard
Bad things still happen
We still struggle
And yes - we will still die at some point
However, we should feel different
Because we're operating with a new perspective, a new world view
We're no longer living for the scratch
And because of that, we may find we're happier, more joy filled and more content
And that's a good thing - it's one of the side effects of walking with our Creator through the chaos of life
But the chaos is still there - and we still have to do work in order to Transcend Human
The Antidote is a long term solution:
So even though we still have problems
And death still happens here on Earth
The Antidote is in our system - preparing us for our future
It's a long term solution to the Sin Virus - one that kicks in at the end of time
Instead of death being the end of it all - the Antidote allows us to respawn (to use a term from the gaming world)
We pick back up where we left off - and we're given back the life we once had
Not just our hit points - like you would get back in a game
We get our original life back - our Pre Sin Virus life - the perfect one we traded in for Satan's lies
// 3. UNDERSTANDING OUR VALUE
So we've walked through two important concepts today:
That there is an Eternal Election that we must cast a vote in
And that a vote for God is accepting the Antidote to the Sin Virus
But if that still seems a little rigid for you - let's bring it home with this.
What we just talked about are facts, givens and steps that we need to take in life.
Yes, very Christian things - but things I believe are universal. Absolute Truths that apply to every human being regardless whether we are Christian or not.
But what I've probably failed to communicate up until now - is that there is a relationship behind this process - behind these action steps...
And that relationship is what Satan wants very much to hide - to downplay - and to keep us from understanding.
It's the relationship between Creator and creation. Between a father and a child. Between a mother and a child.
It's the relationship that exists between God and each of us - whether we see it or not.
The Bible calls God our Heavenly Father. Because He created us - and calls us His children.
But I know - we hear that stuff and it just goes in one ear and out the other.
Maybe because we hear it so often
Maybe because it's hard for us to grasp the significance
Because God is such an abstract concept
But this is vital to the rest of our conversation. This idea that God created us. That He loves us. That we are so important to Him that He was willing to give up Heaven to come rescue us.
If that doesn't show us how valuable we are - nothing will!
So let's finish up with an illustration of this:
Once upon a time... I just love stories that begin that way...
Once upon a time there was a teenage girl who grew tired of her parents, and their rules.
So one night, she decided to run away and live with a friend who recently graduated from high school. This friend was now 20 years old and had her own apartment.
The problem was, the friend didn't make the best decisions in life. Over time, the older girl pulled the 17 year old into drug use. It was just marijuana at first - then a few pills every now and then. But before long she was introduced to Heroin, and at age 18 she found herself helplessly addicted to the strong opiate. Unfortunately - along with the drug culture she was now part of - she experienced other negative things - including a few incidents of sexual assault and battery. One such incident led to police involvement and medical attention. The police, understanding the situation, did some research and were able to locate and notify her parents.
The parents had been going out of their minds with worry. They had been looking for their daughter every day. They posted things on social media, took out ads in newspapers and did interviews on local news stations. But nothing, until the day the police called.
The parents drove as fast as they could to the hospital - but when they arrived they found their daughter had already checked herself out against medical advice.
The police provided the family with the general location where they had picked up the girl, and the parents drove there immediately.
They knocked on doors, and rang doorbells, asking if anyone had seen their daughter.
Finally they arrived at the very apartment their daughter was living in, but the now 21 year old answered the door and lied to the parents - telling them she lived alone - but that she would keep her eye out for their daughter.
After combing the neighborhood, a few people recognized the girl, and all of them pointed back to the same apartment as the place where she had been living.
The parents returned to the apartment, and this time their daughter answered the door.
She was thin, unhealthy and looked like she had been hit by a car. But it was her - it was their daughter!
They had found her - and just in time by the looks of it.
Unfortunately, the daughter was less than happy. She acted as if she didn't want them there. She acted like she wasn't happy to see them and explained that she was an adult now - and that there was nothing they could do.
The parents left the house with mixed emotions. Glad that their daughter was alive, but also sad - because there was nothing they could do to fix the situation.
So they did the next best thing. They told her how much they loved her - and that she was always welcome at home.
They would keep her room ready and waiting - all she had to do was make the call.
And with that - they left.
A year later, there was a call. It was their daughter. She had been raped, and was in the hospital again. She had been there for a few days, and when the hospital realized she was going through detox they started a detox protocol and kept her until the dangerous period was over.
At this point she was alert enough to see her life for what it was. There was a window of clarity that allowed her to call home and ask for help.
The parents didn't hesitate. Mom drove to the hospital. Dad drove to get her stuff from the apartment.
The girl never went back to that apartment - and she lived happily ever after...
Now this is NOT a true story. And because I made it up - I was able to write the ending myself. I was able to make it a happy ending - even though stories like this often turn out the opposite way.
But it's not the ending to the story that's important in this illustration...
I told the story to illustrate the following:
The parents, like God, created their daughter! They loved her, and wanted nothing more than to be in relationship with her
The daughter got caught up in what the world suggested was fun and exciting. She fell for the lie that the "scratch" was all she had
Her friend wasn't really a friend at all. In fact, her roommate actually tried to keep her from the love her parents were offering
Just like us - the daughter had options - she had the freedom of choice:
She could return to the love her parents were offering
Or she could continue to live the way she was living, and probably die in the process
And so it is with each of us. It may not be Heroin addiction, where death is literally one needle away.
But at the end of the day - it's still a life and death decision for each of us.
If we choose against a relationship with our Heavenly Father - death will eventually come for us. And it will be forever.
But if we can push past the pride - the belief that we're not good enough - that God couldn't possibly want a relationship with me. If we can look up from the "scratch" for a minute to see how much bigger life really is.
We will find a relationship like no other. We will find a love that surpasses anything else available on this Earth.
And we will start to see that God has placed value on us that we don't even understand.
Like the parents in our story:
They were willing to go door to door in a bad neighborhood to find their daughter
And then, when they found her - they still honored her freedom - allowing her to choose against them
In the same way, God goes to the ends of the Earth searching for each and every one of us. But when He finds us, he honors our freedom of choice.
He simply explains how much He loves us - that He created us - and that He wants nothing more than to be in a relationship with us.
He explains that He has a home waiting for us - and that we can live there forever if we want - we just have to ask.
Hopefully the story was a good illustration - and helps drive home the point that we need to Understand Our Value.
Before we get any further into CDT, and all the self help stuff. This is where we need to start.
This is a mandatory step. That we Understand Our Value as human beings created by a loving God. A Parent that just wants to spend time with His kids.
So let’s land the plane:
This week we dove into a whole new section - and discussed the first of the things we have control over.
We can Understand Our Value, and Vote for God in the Eternal Election by Accepting the Antidote to the Sin Virus. (x2)
So this week - ask yourself the following questions:
Would you say you Understand Your Value?
Do you know how important you are?
Do you know how much God loves you?
Do you believe that you weren't a mistake?
That a loving God created you just the way you are and wants nothing more than to spend eternity with you?
Next, do you understand your role in the Eternal Election?
Are you clear on the options?
Team God?
Team Satan?
And Team I'm Not Voting...which is actually a vote for the "scratch" which is owned by Satan?
And finally, what would it take for you to Accept the Antidote to the Sin Virus?
To experience a level of joy and contentment right here and now - in your daily life?
But also - to have long-term security. Knowing that death won't be the end?
Well friends, Chapter 4 is in the books. That one went a bit long - but we got so many good things covered.
Thank you for joining us - next week we continue with things we CAN control.
I hope you'll be back as we work through: Chapter 5: CDT05 | Hold On to the Good - Release the Bad
Have a great week, and as always, keep Transcending Human!