Beware lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power . . . Deuteronomy 8:17-18
If you ask what happened to anyone who’s been addicted, had a significant amount of clean time, and then relapsed, you will likely hear the word complacency. I’ve been there. I’ve been in recovery for 10 years, but prior to that, I went to outpatient treatment twice. In both of those previous episodes, my addiction significantly disrupted my life and so, both times, I found myself motivated to make significant, albeit temporary, changes. I went to meetings, did my daily readings, and even got a sponsor. Once my life went back to normal though, I took my foot off the proverbial gas. I ignored my sponsor and I quit going to meetings. Once the crisis passed, I no longer felt any need to work at my recovery. I grew complacent, allowing everything to return to normal. If nothing changes though, nothing changes. And so, I eventually relapsed.
This is exactly what God warned the Israelites about in today’s passage. In your success, don’t grow complacent. God knew that in the tough times, his people would seek him and his will. God wanted to bless the Israelites, but he also knew that blessing and success weren’t always good for them, because in their success, they would be tempted to grow complacent. In discomfort, God’s people saw their need for him, but in their comfort, they forgot about him.
This same warning applies to us. In the tough times, we’re often motivated to seek God and his will. When, however, life goes well, we get comfortable and fail to see any need for growth or change. Success often leads to complacency and complacency leads back to old behaviors. Success then, is often the enemy of faith and recovery.
The lesson for me is that I must keep working at this for the rest of my life. I’ve not yet been made perfect. While I live on this Earth, I’ll retain a self-destructive appetite. I don’t have to live enslaved to it though. If I daily seek God and his will, he daily delivers me from myself. The discipline is to continue to daily seek God, even when things are going well. If I want to enjoy the blessed life that God intends, I must learn to handle that blessing, not allowing it to make me complacent.