The Intersection of Spirituality, Psychology and Theology - Step 8 of Life Recovery

Step 8 of Life Recovery

06/21/21 • 9 min

The Intersection of Spirituality, Psychology and Theology

What are amends?

· To make right where we have done wrong.

· If finances were involved, we need to pay back what we owe.

· Living/Indirect Amends are done when we cannot directly apologize or make financial restitution due to death or it would cause further harm. This demonstrates that we are willing to make restitution for whatever harm we have inflicted. An example of this would be donating money to a charity that is related to the damage we have caused.

· “If you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar and...someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matthew 5:23)

· Sometimes it is simply an admission of our wrong actions, while other more complicated amends may require a long-term commitment to make things right in a relationship.
What types of harm do we owe an amends for?

· Emotional- treating people in any other way than you would want to be treated.

· Physical- inflicting any form of physical harm.

· Sexual- inflicting any form of sexual harm.

· Financial- taking anything that did not belong to you.

· Spiritual- when we mislead or impact the well-being of others it causes spiritual damage.

· “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31)
www.FamilyAfterwards.com

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What are amends?

· To make right where we have done wrong.

· If finances were involved, we need to pay back what we owe.

· Emotional- treating people in any other way than you would want to be treated.

· Physical- inflicting any form of physical harm.

· Sexual- inflicting any form of sexual harm.

· Financial- taking anything that did not belong to you.

· Spiritual- when we mislead or impact the well-being of others it causes spiritual damage.

· “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31)
www.FamilyAfterwards.com

Support the show

Previous Episode

Step 5 of Life Recovery

The Fifth Step of Life Recovery is about beginning to level our pride which can often hinder our walk with the Lord though the recovery process. In theory many feel that "there is no reason why I cannot admit these things to the Lord and move on.” While this may seem applicable, practical experience teaches us otherwise.
We have found that sharing these experiences with a trusted friend takes the power out of these circumstances. This is accomplished through an understanding relationship and an objective outside opinion. The additional perspective gained by sharing our previous and most troubling circumstances, can bring about tremendous relief and clarity to our lives.
We’re not the point, even though we want to be the point. Our sin nature is naturally bent toward what I want, what I need and what I desire. The revealing of how our sin nature has brought us into a collision course with God and those around us is the exact point of the 5th step. Selfishness and self-centeredness are the root of pride, fear and resentment and many conflicts are birthed from these negative emotions.
What areas are you consistently looking to the world for contentment, purpose, meaning or comfort?

What would change if you began to look toward God and His good design for you?

· “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’... So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them”

(Genesis 1:26- 27, NIV)

What if we could really grasp that we have intrinsic worth and value because we are made in the image of God?

· “Bring My Sons and My Daughters from the ends of the earth. Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My Glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Isaiah 43:6-7, NASB)

What person does not want to make peace with his past? How many of us enter recovery with deep feelings of shame, fear, pride, resentment or are perplexed about the meaning of past events?
If we can admit to God, ourselves and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs, we will not regret the past anymore. We will better understand how our behavior and attitudes contribute to conflicts and more importantly, we will see how our experiences can benefit others.

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Next Episode

Trauma & Step 5 of Life Recovery

Trauma is a complex issue that has many negative emotions that are like the addict or codependent.
For this reason, the 5th step can be a very effective way of uncovering toxic emotions, discovering God’s love for them and discarding the lies of the enemy that holds each of us back from a full relationship with Christ and others. The natural tendency is to question God about the reasons for the trauma and/or ensure that justice is delivered for those responsible for the tragedy.
Each of these cases involves resentment, at some level, which needs to be dealt with so that the grieving process can move through to its completion. It is recommended in certain circumstances, depending on the individual’s level of trauma and preference, that a skilled therapist takes part in this process due to the complexity of the trauma.
What would change if you began to look toward God and His good design for you?
What if we could really grasp that we have intrinsic worth and value because we are made in the image of God?
We can exchange the misery of pride, fear and resentment with God’s wonderful design for us. All we need to do is stop serving ourselves and serving God.
What person does not want to make peace with his past? How many of us enter recovery with deep feelings of shame, fear, pride, resentment or are perplexed about the meaning of past events? If we can admit to God, ourselves and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs, we will not regret the past anymore. We will better understand how our behavior and attitudes contribute to conflicts and more importantly, we will see how our experiences can benefit others.

Support the show