Carrie Fraser
“Trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge God, and God will make straight your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6
“In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or decision.” Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 86
On the White Trail in Percy Warner Park there are markers that point left or right along the trail. I’ve often wondered why these arrows were placed at those particular points because the path itself is a loop. Many of us experience those moments where we have to make a decision on which direction we are going to go. Sometimes we choose to head out into the wilderness and off the path with a determination to do it on our own. Addiction leads people out into the wilderness where they often find themselves isolated and alone.
The Next Door provides women with therapeutic and spiritual care and support to help them make the decision to follow the path of recovery. The women we serve also face moments where those arrows point towards their past or their future. They make decisions every day to not let their past define their future. Developing a loving relationship with God reminds us that God is a God of redemption and transformation. When we are at a crossroads, we can turn toward God to provide us with the direction we need to move forward as God’s beloved. Through our relationship with Christ we are “a brand new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5) When we understand this truth our past has no power over us. We stop running and start living.
God is more interested in who we are and what we are going to be than who we were once and what we used to be. God can use our past to serve the world and God’s beloved. Each and every one of us is special and loved by God. Whatever your past, it does not define you. God’s love and grace defines us.
Carrie Fraser, MDIV, LMFT, CADC is the Director of Spiritual Wellness and Alumni Services at The Next Door