Grandiose Thinking

From AA daily reflections: "Experience has taught me that my alcoholic personality tends to be grandiose. While having seemingly good intentions, I can go off on tangents in pursuit of my "causes." My ego takes over and I lose sight of my primary purpose. I may even take credit for God's handiwork in my life. Such an overstated feeling of my own importance is dangerous to my sobriety..." Grandiose thinking is common among addicts and even more so for those of us who are dual-diagnosis, where grandiosity may be a symptom of our mental illness. How can the Bible help us to have a more accurate view of ourselves and our responsibilties?

 I believe one answer can be found in Luke 8:26-39 (The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man.) I think many of us recovering from addiction can relate to the plight of the demon-possessed man. He was chained hand and foot and lived in a type of solitary confinement. I know before Christ I felt isolated and chained to drugs and alcohol, but just like the demon-possessed man, I was healed by Jesus. There are two things in this passage that can help us with grandiose thinking. First of all, is seeing how valuable we are to God. Jesus sent the man's demons into 2,000 pigs, which then were drowned. That would cost over a million dollars in our day! Do you know that you are even more valuable than that? The very blood of God's only Son paved the way for your salvation and recovery! If we don't accept that we are valuable, then we will constantly think we need to be more "important" than we are.

Secondly, it is important to see the town's reaction to the healing of the demon-possessed man. They were in awe because this man was "dressed and in his right mind." That's all! Do we think that we need to be "great" in order to have an impact on other people? Honestly, I would rather change the world than change the sheets, but it is not always the "glamorous" things that make an impact on others. When we tackle things like being responsible with our finances, keeping our homes clean, our bodies healthy, and loving our family, friends, and neighbors, those things make an impact on others. We might think they are boring, but God promises that if we are faithful with a few things, then he will give us more. Besides, even if all we do seems to go unnoticed, we must remember that God DOES notice and we are looking for a "Well done, good and faithful servant" when we reach heaven, not necessarily praise from people while we are here on earth. Remember, you are incredibly valuable to God. He made you and "God don't make no junk." Wendy