Betel is a rehab center here in Bray,
Ireland. The men who live there have taken on the task of overcoming
their addictions. They choose to come to Betel on their own, and they
can choose to leave whenever they want. These men are leaving their
old lifestyles behind, with no real transition to make it any easier.
There are no counselors at Betel, no medications to ease the detox
process. They simply lean on each other and on God to become clean.
One of the main goals of Betel is that each person who walks in the
door might come to know Christ.
These men are taking on a mountain of a
challenge. They are removing the junk that keeps them from deep
relationships, both with people and with God. That junk was not
harmful in the beginning, it was fun, and in some ways maybe even
beneficial. For some people, the junk these men are dealing with is
not a problem, it does not take away from anything meaningful.
We all deal with junk in our lives,
junk that we bring upon ourselves because it looked harmless in the
beginning, but we wake up one day and realize the hold that it has
taken on our lives. We realize just how much it has consumed us and
blocked us from being able to develop a deeper relationship with
people and with God. Maybe your junk is an addiction to alcohol.
Maybe its a love of gossip. Maybe your junk is that you think you are
worthless. Maybe its pride, maybe your priorities are selfish, maybe
you hold grudges.
As you identify the junk in your life,
I want to challenge you to deal with it like the men at Betel. Leave
it behind and let it go, as messy, painful, and awful as that process
can be. Facing those things is WORTH IT because it means you can grow
closer to God, to your family, and to your friends.
The stories of transformation I have
heard from these men are incredible. Because of the process they are
going through, they will have a rock solid faith in God. They are
going through suffering to become the sons of God they were made to
be. God does not make them do this, but He embraces them with open
arms when they finally decide to give in and run to Him. The men from
Betel inspire me to run to God and hand over all my junk. Let them
inspire you.
