I have learned a lot over the years in 12 step programs. I’m a member of Al-anon, which is the 12 step program for the loved ones of problem drinkers. I have been surprised by how much I’ve learned and how much I’ve been healed in Al-anon. Al-anon offers healing in every aspect of a person’s life because alcohol takes a toll in every aspect of a person’s life. They say we strive to “practice these principles in all of our affairs,” and I have found that to be profoundly true. I have found that, far beyond any dealings with alcoholics in my life, Al-anon also offers healing for anger, resentment, painful happenings in my childhood, and difficult family relationships. It has brought clarity and healing into aspects of my life that I didn’t expect, such as my finances, my health, even the clutter in my home. 

Interestingly, all of this can also be said of Orthodoxy. In my 17 years as an Orthodox Christian, I have found profound spiritual, psychological, and emotional healing; healing of my fears, my habits, my instability, my relationships, my traumas, as well as my sins. In the Orthodox mindset, sin is often thought of in medical terms of illness and healing, rather than legal and juridical terms of broken laws and sentences. Because my sin-sickness and brokenness extend into the deepest parts of me, I need Christ’s healing to extend that far as well. A superficial washing will not reach into my brokenness and offer restoration and transformation, but in Orthodoxy I have found the deep cleansing and curative work of Christ in the furthest extents of my life. 

This is slow work, both in Al-anon and in Orthodoxy. And it is sometimes painful. But healing has begun, and the freedom and joy that have come into my life as a result is beyond compare. I want this for you too, even if you never have cause to attend an Al-anon meeting or darken the doors of an Orthodox church. Your difficulties may be very different from mine, but I’m willing to bet that you have some. Are there situations in your life that are making you crazy but that you can’t fix? Are you longing for relief and healing? I hope to convey here some of the principles and insights that have been so life changing for me.