Playing Our “A-C-E”
People’s progression into deeper and deeper personal issues normally involves multiple factors.
The road out of that valley is often multi-faceted and holistic as well. Areas involved can be emotional, relational, spiritual, cognitive, medical or psychiatric, hereditary, environmental (such as a background involving trauma, where we live, and who we hang around), and others.
There is one—and only one—supernatural way to escape our CHAINS, which is through God’s power. But God often chooses to work through other people and via multiple mechanisms. It seems to be the exception, rather than the norm, for God to quickly zap people out of their problems.
In each area of Next Right STEPS, we have a simple 3-step system we can use to live life better. In the area of CHAINS, those steps are:
- Awareness – Become self-aware of our issues.
- Connection – Talk to people about them vulnerably.
- Education – Invest time to learn how to live life better.
If you are struggling with CHAINS, I strongly encourage you to devote energy and time to each of those 3 steps. If someone you know if hurting, you can help them do the same.
- Awareness – Negative thoughts, self-talk, habits, and addictions begin and grow in the darkness, and bringing them into the light weakens their power. Many people may not naturally possess deep self-awareness, but it is an attribute that we can practice and improve over time. Lack of awareness about our issues means we can’t work on them effectively, so they continue growing in the dark. At times, unawareness develops into outright denial, which is when we vehemently deny the nature or depth of an issue that we are struggling with. Lack of awareness is more than an inconvenience; it harms and kills people when their behaviors become too dangerous too quickly without them doing anything about them. It keeps people from taking steps or getting help that could change their lives for the better, and their self-caused problems continue to escalate in the meantime.
Examples of Next Right STEPS: Spend a few minutes each day in quiet meditation about how things are going in our life; take a personal self-inventory of our issues; ask people we trust and who care for us to give us feedback; use a formal life assessment tool; or ask a counselor for feedback and advice.
2. Connection – When people struggle with CHAINS in their life that they are embarrassed about, they often choose not to talk to anyone about them. They begin to isolate, literally by not being around as many people or emotionally by hiding part of their life from others. There is a powerful key that can often unlock the CHAINS keeping them prisoner; it is the first time that they choose to talk to somebody about their problem. This can happen when they talk to God, a family member or friend, or almost anyone. The power does not come from what they learn, but from what they say. By becoming humble and vulnerable enough to admit the issue to someone, healing can begin. Ideally, this first conversation is the beginning of an ongoing focus on connection that could include talking to more people, counselors, therapists, or pastors and connecting with a recovery group.
Examples of Next Right STEPS: As a first step, talk to whoever we are comfortable sharing with; talk to a family member and ask them to simply listen; ask a supportive friend to meet us for coffee; set up a meeting with the pastoral minister at a church; or schedule an appointment with a counselor.
3. Education – There are Next Right STEPS that people can learn to live life better, and they include concepts and techniques that can help them escape the CHAINS holding them back. Many people struggling with issues simply don’t know what to do to help the situation. The good news is that they can learn. There is a scarcity of good educational programs for learning how to effectively handle real life, but that is design point for what STEPS does, and there are a great number of practical steps that people can use. The STEPS “Tool Kit for Real Life” has articles, videos, podcasts, short courses, and other resources they can use in the convenience and confidentiality of their own home. People can search online for other eBooks, book, blogs, podcasts, social media channels and groups or digital online courses on their own if they want more or different information than STEPS offers.
Examples of Next Right STEPS: Sign up to get the weekly Next Right STEPS blog; go to the STEPS website and investigate the resources in the “Tool Kit for Real Life;” read one of the STEPS books or eBooks; commit to reading a book a month for a quarter on relevant topics; or join a recovery group.
Whether it is you who wants to live life better or someone you know, the good news is that there are steps that will lead to more peace, joy, and purpose. That journey begins with the next right step.
CLOSING ENCOURAGEMENT
We have used the word “CHAINS” as an acronym, but the term has metaphorical significance as well. Actual chains can be used to keep someone prisoner, and to hold them back from where they want to go. Chains are hard to break, and they are a heavy burden to carry. Just as it is with our CHAINS.
But our CHAINS can be broken. That is something we have absolute assurance about because:
There are many millions of people who have recovered or prevented CHAINS, including the very worst of addictions, from ruining their lives, and the success stories continue to grow.
God is good, and he has a positive future for us: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Anyone can benefit from living a recovery-informed lifestyle. I personally know hundreds of people who would testify to that truth, and I have seen it myself and with my family.
We tend to fear struggles and trials, but they often lead to some of our biggest breakthroughs in life. If we do have issues with CHAINS, they can turn into some of our most amazing blessings.
The Next Right STEPS are principles and techniques that represent approaches from recovery, the Bible, psychology, wellness, and personal development that have been proven to work.
During my own journey and after spending many years with people who have struggled, I have learned some simple but profound truths: It’s okay not to be okay, because we are all that way at times. We’re not broken, we’re normal. And we’re not alone, because everyone has struggles, and there are people who can help us. Most of all, we know that life can get better one step at a time.
In the Next Right STEPS process, we can use our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength to live life better. At times, we can take a LEAP forward by encountering epiphanies and breakthroughs along our journey. And we can learn to deal with issues and trials early to prevent bad habits.
We can break our CHAINS.
Question: What idea or technique from this material on CHAINS is most relevant for you?
Next Right Step: Pick 1 step of Awareness, Connection, or Education you commit to take.
