Elisha sent out a servant to meet him with this message: “Go to the River Jordan and immerse yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you’ll be as good as new.” Naaman lost his temper. He turned on his heel saying, “I thought he’d personally come out and meet me, call on the name of GOD, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and get rid of the disease. The Damascus rivers, Abana and Pharpar, are cleaner by far than any of the rivers in Israel. Why not bathe in them? I’d at least get clean.” He stomped off, mad as a hornet. But his servants caught up with him and said, “Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard and heroic, wouldn’t you have done it? So why not this simple ‘wash and be clean’?” So he did it. He went down and immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, following the orders of the Holy Man. His skin was healed; it was like the skin of a little baby. He was as good as new. 2 Kings 5:10-14

Naaman reluctantly agreed to follow Elisha’s instructions; and when he did he was healed.

When you look at yourself in the mirror what do you see? When we were caught up in our addictions and compulsions we avoided looking in the mirror. As we grow in recovery and in our faith in God looking at ourselves should become easier. However if our unwilling spirit refuses to humbly yield to God’s process of life-change we will still be tormented with who we were, not who we are now of who we are becoming.

Naaman was reluctant at first he didn’t want to yield to the crazy ideas proposed by a man of God. He believed there was some other way to be clean than bathing in the uninviting River Jordan, But, persuaded by his advisors he did as he was commanded. Although he was humiliated nothing short of a miracle happened. His leprosy was cleansed and he was made healthy,

Not until we go all the way with God and do all He commands us to do, regardless of how humiliating it is will we experience true recovery and true freedom. The Holy Spirit of God will probe our lives and reveal to us the things we need to change in our character to keep moving forward. The Twelve Steps are steps of self-discovery of character. A chance to see who we really are and who God is calling us to be so we can become of service to Him/\.