Hope Is AliveSample

"Hope Partners"

Most addicts face a pretty steep, uphill climb as we try to transition back into mainstream society. We fight labels and stereotypes. Our past decisions seemingly lurk around each corner, waiting for the worst possible time to jump up and snag us. If we had insecurities before we found sobriety, they’re even more prevalent as we step back into a world where we constantly feel the proverbial finger being pointed at us. Oftentimes people are downright scared of us, tiptoeing around us, as if one false move will send us off into the bathroom with a needle or drink in hand.

I know this feeling very well. I’ve been there. The first day I came back to work after getting sober, I felt all my coworkers’ eyes following every step I took. My Uncle Pat had graciously kept my job open for me while I sought treatment for three months, but since I’d left so abruptly, I hadn’t been able to sit down and explain to anyone what was going on. I can only imagine what had been said or the rumors that had flown around the office during my absence, but I’m sure they were hoping I was long gone, never to return. 

I felt like a leper. It was so awkward and uncomfortable, like Pig-Pen from the Peanuts comic strip, the kid who always had the cloud of dust hovering around him. Even though I felt clean and new, everyone else still saw me as dirty, with dust spewing out of my mouth each time I started to talk. 

The truth is, only a very small percentage of people who attempt sobriety--make it. But those who do are those who are willing to seek out someone to help guide them down the road. As I look back on my journey I see how God placed a plethora of people in my life to give myself a fighting chance. This group of people I call my Hope Partners.

Hope Partners come in all sizes and flavors. A Hope Partner will come alongside you as your draw near to God. A Hope Partner will help encourage you along your journey. A Hope Partner will help hold you accountable for your actions. A Hope Partner is not someone who will push you into relapse, but someone who will guide you into a new existence. 

In the Bible, Barnabus became a sponsor, a Hope Partner of sorts for the apostle Paul. Paul wrote most of the New Testament and planted many of the early churches. However, before that he was a persecutor of the church! 

Although Paul was called to be an apostle by the will of God, because of his past, his acceptance into the early church community came through the sponsorship or mentorship of Barnabas (see ACT.9.26-30). This relationship was crucial to Paul’s advancement into becoming an influential leader of the early Christian church. It was Barnabas, risking his reputation and position as a church leader, who finally persuaded the disciples to accept Paul, making a way to what would be an incredibly world-changing future. 

Today as you continue to take steps to firm up the foundation of your sobriety, seek out some Hope Partners that will help guide you, encourage you and hold you accountable.