WHAT IS RECOVERY?
/Recovery is a ministry of repentance, reconciliation, and restoration that seeks to counsel those struggling with sin, bringing them into the fullness of joy that God intends for His children. We provide those who find themselves struggling with the effects of sin a safe place to walk honestly in loving community and receive God's truth in addressing life's difficulties.
We often get the question, ‘who is Recovery for’, and ‘who should attend’? Recovery at Summit is for anyone who finds themselves in an ongoing struggle with sin and its effects. We tend to say that Recovery is for anyone struggling with a hurt, habit or hang-up.
When we say “hurt” we are referring to any individual that is literally hurting. A “hurt” could be classified as any life experience that may have damaged your heart and left you with a distorted view of God, yourself and/or others. It refers to an individual that is broken-hearted and wounded over the loss of a relationship, over feelings of abandonment or betrayal or abuse, or other residual effects of growing up or living in a dysfunctional family.
When we think about those who are wrestling with a “habit”, we are referring to anyone who may be stuck in an unhealthy pattern that began as an attempt to “self-medicate“ or escape some problem in one’s life. This “habit” ends up turning into a chronic, compulsive and destructive behavior or addiction. Habits are the ongoing, broken, default scripts that individuals run to when the going gets tough. These behaviors can range from pornography, to drugs or alcohol, to an eating disorder, gambling, isolation, workaholism, affairs, etc.
Lastly, the term “hang ups”, refer to any individual that is struggling with road blocks that keep them from moving further down God’s plan for their life. These roadblocks can be wrong thinking that may have started as a child, or it can be some unhealthy attitude that may have been adopted as a means of coping with life’s problems or trials. Hang-ups can flesh themselves out in anger, worry, depression, codependency, lack of trust in God, pride, materialism, a desperate need to control, or people-pleasing; to name a few.
At the end of the day the motives for people entering into Recovery at Summit vary greatly. There could be a myriad of reasons why someone would enter the doors of Recovery, but regardless of the reason or motivation, our need is all the same. We are a broken people living in a broken world in need of God’s redeeming love and grace.
The ministry of Recovery is centered on the gospel and offers biblical counsel alone. We use the 12 Steps as a tool to help people identify where they are in this journey, to help them communicate their feelings openly and see God clearly. We make sure to anchor the 12 Steps in the Word of God and never seek to elevate them above God’s Truth. We see the 12 Steps as an effective discipleship tool that brings our desperate need for God and His grace close.
In the end, we know the hope that the world offers falls short of God’s plan for redemption and for recovering what has been marred because of sin. Our aim is to offer the hope, healing and restoration that can only be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our prayer for the unbeliever attending Recovery is that they will come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and through Him discover the rest and healing they need for their souls. For the one who is already a believer in Christ and attending Recovery, we pray that God would use this program to enrich their relationship with Him, to help them grow in their understanding of the rhythm and order that God has ordained them to function in and continue to grow in their love for Him and others.
We are grateful for the Gospel and grateful for a ministry at Summit that stretches beyond our walls, bringing hope and healing to those in need, in a safe, accountable and loving environment. We’re believing God to do immeasurably more in and through the ministry of Recovery and in the lives of those He has called us to minister to.
- Orlando Cabrera
