2/15/2024. CBB
“The cross you died on positionally must be the cross you live on personally every day. The truest test of whether you are surrendered to the Lord comes in times of personal defeat. Our pride says, ” Rise up and fight! ” But the Spirit says,” Surrender and live.” Job was assailed with great calamities and never rebelled against God. Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong, Job 1: 21-22. In the midst of his trials, a prayer of surrender was uttered on his lips. You too can do this by beginning each day with a prayer of surrender.” Lord, I surrender my life to You. I choose to do your will, not mine. I accept Your terms for my life and I choose to live the crucified life which I received positionally through my faith in Christ. I ask you to give me grace to be a surrendered soldier of the Cross today.”
This devotional today, shared by a friend has a lot of personal meaning for me. I left a women’s recovery program 10 years ago because my philosophy of long term faith-based recovery for women was not acceptable to the leadership of the organization. It was a decision that led to Titus 2’s residential recovery program’s start. The 10 years of fostering women’s life recovery in long term transformational recovery have given me great satisfaction and, at times, great consternation, as well. I’ve learned alot. I believe our team has accomplushed a lot.
The entire industry of life recovery has changed and continues to change. Short term programs funded by more accessible insurance have sprung up filling a need that amounts to effectively a longer detox period and a timeout for many to evaluate their future.
Some people who are truly ready for change and who have an adequate measure of internal and external resources to which they can return, with adequate healthy supportive community, will make the personal transformations to maintain longterm recovery through such means.
Many, it seems, transition to long term outpatient Medication Assisted Treatment programs. (Vivitrol, methadone, or suboxone) opting for a harm reduction approach. There are so many options now that few seem to have the patience or willingness for long term faith-based, community support, identity-building, stability- fostering programs that ask so much of one in terms of learning and living into transformed thinking, attitudes, relationships, and lifestyles.
The most difficult population needing help appears to be single women with children and the older chemical-dependent individuals who have begun to have medical issues, seeking disability or awaiting Social Security age, many of whom need stable shelter, access to medical care, and at least a meager income base. Abundant autonomous living seems too much to hope or stretch for. Most recovery programs, transitional programs or shelters have a time limit that maxes out for those paying nothing and who are unable to work toward full independence. Broken and dysfunctional families, limited education, mental health issues, and years of instability have left lives in conditions that cannot be quickly remediated. And yet everyone seeks a quick fix, usually at the expense of social services, non-profits, churches or even friends or mere acquaintances who are often in similar circumstances.
Given the current expanding state of residential recovery resources in Bay County, we have made the decision to discontinue the long term residential recovery care part of Titus2’s program. Titus 2 will be providing situation “triage” for individuals and families in crisis toward case management, planning, direct assistance and referral to and assistance with accessing local resources. We will be working with community agencies and several churches as well as teaching classes, mentoring, and counseling at several residential programs. We will be continuing weekly groups for women in recovery, as well.
We will still consider occasional special requests for short term shelter while assisting individual women toward immediate or short term life recovery goals. All Titus 2 services are free to those we are able to serve. If you have questions or need further information call .. Thank you!