My Wife’s Second Husband

Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

My wife recently turned to me and, out of the blue, reminded me how thankful she was that I was in recovery. She didn’t know it when she married me, but at the time, I was growing an addiction that would eventually wreak havoc on our lives. I have put her through some truly awful things. Looking back, for her, it must be a little like she’s been married to two different men: Scott the addict and Scott the recovering addict. I’m far from perfect, but now, living in faith and recovery, our marriage is vastly different than it was 10 years ago. I think it’s safe to say that my wife likes her transformed second husband far more than she liked the first one.

Today’s passage speaks of the salvation and transformation that is available to all who desire it. Those who wish to be saved from themselves, must to cry out to God, turning to him. In doing so, they will find freedom from the old life as they discover the new one. Those who would seek salvation though, are only those who know they require saving.

This is a problem for many of us. Often, we’re blind to how badly we need help. For years, I wouldn’t accept that I had a problem that was severe enough to require radical transformation. As long as I didn’t suffer any horrible consequences, I was just fine. I believed in God. I was a Christian. I didn’t require salvation again.

Living in denial, I remained that first husband, addicted and self-destructive. That first husband believed in God but followed himself. Only in recognizing my need and crying out to God, did I find faith, recovery, and new life. Still, when I don’t daily choose to point my life at God, I naturally drift back towards following me and that first husband shows up again. I may not relapse back into drugs, but I relapse back into my selfish ways easily enough.

The temptation for us, is to read today’s verse and think it applies only to those who’ve never believed in God. The truth though, is that we all need to be saved from ourselves every day. We don’t lose and regain our salvation daily, but we all live in need of continual transformation. If we desire to enjoy the freedom of the new life, instead of the misery of the old, daily, we must cry out to God, following him instead of ourselves.