A Tribute to My Higher Power

God, I come into your presence
And I bare to you these scars.
Some received in private battle
Some obtained in public wars
Even some were self-inflicted
But no matter how they came
I now bare them all before you
To the honor of your name.

All my wounds cry Alleluia.
All my bruises honor you.
Every scar is just a trophy
Of your grace that brought me through.
And the tears I wept before you
When I didn’t understand,
Are now diamonds of recovery
Sparkling in your very hands


Adapted from:
All My Wounds Cry Alleluia, Clay McClean

A Geode

The outside of a geode is rather ordinary looking, if not ugly. There is little to tell of the treasures inside. A vice is needed to grip the geode tightly. Then certain techniques are applied to crack it open and reveal its hidden wonders. Left alone, no one would begin to guess its miraculous, glittering contents.

My life as an addict is like a geode. I am a rock. Alone. Closed off from the world. I am afraid to let anyone in. I consider myself, and my ways of acting out, to be quite ugly. I find myself in the grips of addiction, unable to escape.

Then I am exposed to the steps of recovery. I begin to allow myself to be cracked open. The healing is wondrous. I am no longer alone. My inner life becomes a shining miracle of God’s abundant grace.