How do we yield to the Spirit when we have trouble viewing God as a father?
Counselor Todd Mulliken says the first step is to find the right mindset. We need to accept that God is God, and we are not.
We can be comforted by that realization because God is all-powerful and He loves us unconditionally.
Those struggling with addiction need to address why it’s difficult to see God as a fatherly figure. Todd offers an example that many may have experienced.
“He loves us unconditionally. That is a different lens than how the parent usually loved them.”
So often the parents of those struggling with addictions desperately seek love from their children, but they aren’t able to return the love in the same way.
“When the kid isn’t acting in a certain way, the parent doesn’t know how to handle that. The parent’s need to be loved is greater than their capacity to love and that’s the problem.”
How does this impact that child as they grow up and become dependent on a substance?
“It makes the person not be excited about this whole idea of having a Heavenly Father.”
The idea of turning your life and will over to God can be frightening for those who trusted an authority figure before and were let down. But once they are able to be comfortable with that idea, and yield to the spirit, they find love, comfort, and healing.
“Once you know you’re loved and accepted and approved, and we all desire that, then you have a chance to be a little more content in yourself to know that God’s got this.”
There’s a freedom to be who we want to be and not need to be afraid. When we yield to God and His mercy and love for us, we start catching fears when they begin to form and are able to change that process and trust God with them instead of trusting a substance to drown them out.
