Addiction: How to Help Hurting PeopleНамуна

To help hurting people, you must see past their problems and see their gift.

Behavior problems capture everyone's attention. The addict may like their substance, but they also hate the addiction. They tell themselves to stop. The person who is engaging in unhealthy behaviors will normally want to stop. But they don’t know how. The more they try to stop, the more they engage in that behavior. The problem gets bigger and bigger. It causes bigger problems, and it gains a greater focus from everyone involved.

If you want to help this person, look past their problem and see the gift they were made to be in this world. This is powerful. If someone feels lost in their life, they will almost certainly have behaviors that show they are lost. When they share their struggles, you have a great opportunity. You get to be like the prodigal son’s father. You get to look at that broken person and say, “Who were you made to be?”

This sends a bold message to them. They are expecting you to gasp at their problem. They are expecting you to focus on their behavior. Instead, you can help them see their life in a whole different way.

We can help broken people be reminded of who they were made to be. This will feel like a breath of fresh air to a person who feels deflated by a behavior problem. Imagine how the prodigal son felt as he was walking home. He was about to show himself to all of the people he boldly rejected. He was about to show everyone how much he had failed. How do you think he felt as he got closer to his family?

When he arrived home, he experienced something powerful. In the parable, Jesus describes how the father responds. He is not standoffish and cold, as if he is waiting for his son to prove himself first. Instead, the father ran to him and showed that he was not interested in focusing on the broken behavior. Instead, he wanted to boldly point the son to who he was made to be. The father communicated the love and belief he had in his son.

If you want to help a hurting person, convince them that you see and believe in their greater calling and purpose.