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Have you ever seen “Sharknado”—the first, second, or both? We devote an entire week to sharks, which gets Discovery Channel’s highest ratings of the year. Our culture loves a good shark story. What captivates us most about those movies and TV shows is exploring below the surface and seeing the sharks in the complex world of the sea.
In many ways, in order to properly understand addictions, we need to do the same thing—go below the surface and attempt to understand addiction’s complex world. Many people think addictions are shallow, but as we have discussed, their roots are much deeper. Addictions are when we pursue or worship anything other than God to meet our needs.
What might those needs be? Usually needs arise out of “stressors.” Stressors are any event, person, situation, thought, or feeling that takes you out of your comfort zone.
Some stressors can be positive —starting a new school year, sport, relationship, or hobby. These changes are good, but with them comes new pressures and expectations.
Some stressors can be negative—anxiety, sadness, depression, peer pressure, or insecurity. These feelings can arise from a variety of situations. Maybe you’re not getting along with your parents or siblings. Maybe you got a bad grade on a test, or just broke up with your boyfriend or girlfriend.
Sometimes these bad stressors persist over time, and deepen. This can cause confusion, lack of purpose, lost identity, or uncertainty about God.
We are made in God’s image. Because of this, we must deal with our stressors in the way that God, our designer, has made us to, rather than allowing our stressors lead us to addiction. God has built us in a way such that our ultimate happiness and relief can only be found in Him. All other solutions are temporary, and in many cases we will be worse off than when we started.
If we pursue temporary solutions rather than taking our stressors to God, we will develop idols and addictions. Ultimately, God has provided the best solution to our pain—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
