“The Some/Son-One Who is With Us”

A friend of mine, for whom I am an accountability partner, reported that, despite some temptations, he had done well.  My reply was as follows:

“Well done!  Thanks for the update!

I have heard it said, as you have also no doubt, that ‘God had one Son without sin, but no sons without temptation.’  It is good to always remember that Someone (who is also the Sonone/won) is with us at all times.”

I love playing with words, as you can tell from the above.

But this business of not being alone is not play.  Aloneness (or rather, loneliness) is no laughing matter.  Most of us feel lonely at times—even when we’re surrounded by people.

Addicts in particular tend to feel alone.  We frequently struggle with both self-hatred and loneliness.  To be imprisoned in solitary confinement with someone you hate is double punishment.

When an addict attends his/her first meeting, he/she frequently hears the words “You are not alone.”  Addicts hear the stories of others, and realize that perhaps, just maybe, they are not the only ones who struggle.  They are not, as “terminally unique” as they had thought.  And of course in the expression “terminally unique,” the emphasis is on “terminally”—as in terminally sick.

For those of us who are Christians, it is more than knowing that there are other people who share our struggles.  Christians believe that, in Jesus Christ, God took on a human identity, and experienced temptation and struggle just as we do.

Christians also believe that this same Jesus was raised from the dead, has ascended to Heaven, and has sent us the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ personal re-presentative.  That is to say, the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ presence within and among those of us who are believers.

Now, I must confess that most of the time I don’t feel real holy-spirit-y, or Jesus-y.  Most of the time, I feel entirely too me-ish.  However, I refuse to dumb down my beliefs to match what I feel like.

I believe that, even when my wife is out shopping (as she is right now), I am still not alone.  I believe that Someone is with me at all times—Someone who has been tempted, who has struggled, and who always stands ready to help.

Jesus said, just before his ascension to Heaven, “I am with you, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  Either Jesus was telling me the truth, or my feelings are.  I think I’ll go with Jesus on this one!

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