Is the Work of Recovery Worth It?
by Tim Tedder | Articles Index

Change is hard! I was reminded of this earlier today when I spoke with a friend who has been fighting his addictions for years. And I see the struggle each day as I counsel couples trying to recover from past disappointments or betrayals in their marriage. Sometimes the work of change is so difficult that they wonder if it's realistic to hope for something better.
People really can and do experience satisfying changes if they have a clear sense of who they want to become and remain committed to the process. Refusing to give up is one of the things that separate those who "make it" from those who do not.
The book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller challenges us to turn our life stories into something truly interesting and memorable. One passage, in particular, seemed to illustrate the frustration of moving toward change. Let me share it with you.
Donald writes about canoeing across a lake with a group of other guys, a process that unexpectedly took them many hard hours to complete. Here's his story...
People really can and do experience satisfying changes if they have a clear sense of who they want to become and remain committed to the process. Refusing to give up is one of the things that separate those who "make it" from those who do not.
The book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller challenges us to turn our life stories into something truly interesting and memorable. One passage, in particular, seemed to illustrate the frustration of moving toward change. Let me share it with you.
Donald writes about canoeing across a lake with a group of other guys, a process that unexpectedly took them many hard hours to complete. Here's his story...
...We didn't leave his dock till after midnight, and we had to paddle for hours through the pitch black, and in the middle the inlet was so large and the dark was so dark we couldn't make out either shore. We had to guide ourselves by stars...
I think this is when most people give up on their stories. They come out of college wanting to change the world, wanting to get married, wanting to have kids and change the way people buy office supplies. But they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can't see the distant shore anymore, and they wonder if their paddling is moving them forward. None of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the trees ahead are getting bigger. They take it out on their spouses and they go looking for an easier story...
It's like this with every crossing, and with nearly every story too. You paddle until you no longer believe you can go any further. And then suddenly, well after you thought it would happen, the other shore starts to grow, and it... reaches out to you, to welcome you home, almost pulling your boat into the sand.
Keep paddling toward your shore. It's worth the trip.
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