By Jim Seckman, MAC, CACII, CCS

Easter is this coming Sunday, the day Christians believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead. In the Christian tradition though, Easter is preceded by a day called Good Friday, the day when Jesus was crucified.

While Easter is a time of new life and hope, Good Friday is a time of sadness, grief, darkness, and hopelessness.

Recovery is a lot like that. People come into treatment filled with the darkness, sadness, grief, and hopelessness of addiction. But, what they find is a life of recovery, a life of hope.

Hope strives forward when it would be easier to quit
Hope is confidence in the future instead of fear and doubt, regardless of the circumstances
Hope sees problems as opportunities
Hope is the lifeline we can hold fast to when all else fails
Hope is an anchor for the soul
Hope gives us the strength to believe when there doesn’t seem to be any evidence

This Sunday, millions of Christians will be celebrating the life and hope they find through the resurrection. My prayer for you is that today you are celebrating the new life and hope you can find through recovery.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope. Romans 15:13