What is Celebrate Recovery? Why Celebrate Recovery?
You are sitting at church, or pretty much any large gathering for that matter. Look to your right, look to your left. All around you are hurting people, hiding behind smiling faces. Stop for a moment and take about three minutes and watch the short video, Smiling Addiction.
Look at yourself. What mask are you wearing right now? Are you sitting there with a smile plastered on your face, while inside you are struggling with an issue? What are you using to mask your true self? It doesn’t have to be drugs or alcohol, it could be food. For that matter, it can be just about anything. Everyone has some kind of hurt, habit or hang-up in their life.
Celebrate Recovery is a place at area churches where we can go and take off the masks and be “real.” Confidentiality is a big key to this, what you say stays there, even that you went is confidential. It is structured in such a way that you have fellowship with dinner together and then a time to worship during what is called “large group.” In those times where you may not be able to express yourself with words, the songs sung during large group can give you the means to say those words. For me, I can express much more emotion through song than any other way. Also, during this time there is either a lesson given or a testimony from someone sharing how God has changed their life, very often how it has changed through their involvement CR (Celebrate Recovery). CR operates a CHIP system as well. There are chips for time that you have spent working on your issue. And again, this is for everyone, not just the drug and alcohol group. You don’t have to tell anyone what your chip is for, it is up to you to decide what area of your life you want to work on. But the chips are great reminders to hang on to mark your progress over time. Showing up to large group is just the first step, the real work begins in "small group." It is there that the groups are broken down into specific topics and by gender. Here is finally a place just for YOU. You get to share what is going on, whether it be abuse, past issues, chemical dependence, anger issues (drive in Atlanta during rush hour and you will find out how your anger issue is!), etc. Believe it or not, only one in three people attend CR due to drugs or alcohol. Every one is dealing with some kind of hurt, habit or hang-up. Maybe you are the one that was hurt, or you could be the one that has hurt someone else. But we ALL have issues in our life that we have attempted to hide or sweep under the proverbial “rug.” After small group, there is some sort of “Café” time. This is a little bit freer time to share numbers or books or just visit with new friends that you’ve made. Once you have been in CR for a while you may choose to go even deeper with it and attend a “step group.” These are small groups dedicated to going through an in-depth series of four books that walks you through a 12-step, 8-principle process using Scripture as a guide. The step group typically takes about a year to complete.
Why share? Why Celebrate Recovery? This is a SAFE place to share. Maybe you’ve been burdened for a while but didn’t know where to turn to. Maybe you feel ashamed because you think that Christians shouldn’t be dealing with “issues.” Christians are forgiven, but still human. Here is a place you can finally be real at. For many people in CR this is the first time they’ve ever had a place to be real. And just sharing can open up the doorway to taking that first step in healing, not hiding. It has been said, “We are only as sick as our secrets.” What was the secret in your family of origin? What is your personal secret? Release it so God can take it from you and begin to heal you.
So drop that burden and those secrets you’ve been carrying and hiding and give Celebrate Recovery a try! To find a group in your area, click the icon below.
So glad for your part in this ministry, Hannah.
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