Celebrate Recovery DevotionalSample

Breaking the Silence

I just don’t see how sitting around talking about my problems without anyone saying anything back is going to help.” That’s what one of the frustrated members of our step group said last week. I completely understood what he meant. One of the things that seems strange about Celebrate Recovery at first is that we don’t offer advice or what we call “cross talk,” that is, feedback on the sharing that happens in group. We’re used to people responding and giving advice, but soon we realize that there are two very important things going on: We are breaking the silence first by sharing, then by relating to others through listening.

Breaking the silence is so important, because the things we can’t talk about own us. When we share openly, the power of those secrets over our lives is broken. Because no one can reply, we don’t have to worry about being corrected or judged. We get to express what is in our hearts without fear.

As we listen without speaking, we realize how many things we all have in common. We are able to relate to people we might have shied away from before. We begin to see how God is working in other lives, giving us hope that he can work in ours as well. We are not alone.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the wisdom that allows me to open up and gain strength from others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.