Rector's letter for January Fowey News
Dear Friends
Another thing we all have in common… addiction - The compulsion to consume, watch, receive, or do something habitually and without which we feel some level of angst, upset, anger, or trauma. It’s a form of slavery, even when it’s a good thing that is creating the chains.
We can be addicted to what we consume: alcohol, drugs, crisps, chocolate, coffee, or even carrot juice. We can be addicted to what we watch: sport, the news, pornography, or a soap opera. We can be addicted to what we receive: love, approval, praise, or attention. We can be addicted to what we do: shopping, smoking, enjoying sex, working, training, biking, or gaming. Although some addictions are considered far more respectable and acceptable than others, they are destructive nonetheless.
Some of us are ‘shopaholics’. We get a ‘high’ from buying new things. But the high is soon gone, and so we hit the shops again for another ‘fix’. Others are addicted to work – we might even refer to ourselves as ‘workaholics’. On the surface it’s a noble addiction. But driving ourselves to an early grave, burning ourselves out, or neglecting our family is still destructive. Likewise, being addicted to keeping fit seems admirable. But it’s destructive when exercise becomes an obsession, or when it causes us to never be satisfied with our weight or body shape. And then, of course, there’s our phones and the addiction to the dopamine hit of a post. For some it’s television, smoking, or overeating. For others it’s the approval of others. And it’s probably fair to say that we’re all addicted to our own comfort, ease, and pleasure.
Of course, not everyone will be addicted in the same way or to the same degree. We are not equally addicted, but we are all addicts, often because we are stressed or depressed or bored. We are broken people. And, sadly, we go to the wrong place or the wrong person or the wrong thing to get fixed. We seek release, comfort, or escape by our ‘turn-to’ thing that we hope will help us to cope. It’s as if we are thirsty and gasping for a drink, but we keep drinking seawater. yes, it’s liquid. It looks like it will do what we desperately want it to do – to quench our thirst. But it doesn’t. Saltwater only increases our thirst – and if we carry on drinking it, it will eventually kill us.
Many of our New Year resolutions are about attempting to get a grip on our addictions. But may I point you in another direction? “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life…. If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 4:14 & 7:37 ESV)
Jesus satisfies. He truly quenches our thirst. Without him, we are like people living in a desert – a spiritual desert. We desperately look for water – something that will give us that thirst-quenching satisfaction. We desperately look for life. Shopping, gaming, food, alcohol, television – or whatever your thing is – won’t satisfy us and can’t solve our problems. They just temporarily cover them or help us to forget them or distract us from them. And sometimes they enslave us in the process. In fact, we might only realise how enslaved we are when we try to escape or to stop. But Jesus is able to set us free. He quenches our thirst for meaning, purpose, identity, and joy. Most of all, he quenches our thirst – our desire – for eternal life. That is why he urges us to come to him and drink.
So may I wish you a fulfilling and satisfied New Year in Jesus?
with every blessing
Philip