Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!"
Igniting Purpose and Power, One Page at a Time
Thankfully, our old ways became so frustrating and futile, we finally let them go. We felt like gymnasts on the uneven parallel bars. Releasing our grip on what had previously stabilized us, sent us reeling wildly in mid-air, hoping to catch hold of the new life when it came within reach. We grabbed at anything and everything that might be it.
As we called an end to our addiction, using Christ’s words, “It is finished,” our recovery took root and began to grow into a new life filled with promise. We began to detect subtle changes in our thoughts and behaviors, but they often fluctuated so rapidly, we sometimes wondered if they were real or imagined. We understood that the development of our new life would take time, but the changes we had hoped would happen quickly seemed to be taking forever. Many of our old habits, which we desperately wished would vanish, continued to linger. And some of the expectations we set for ourselves just weren’t happening.
However, we also noticed that some of our undesirable behaviors that we previously accepted as normal (or just being human) had disappeared without any effort on our part. In fact, there were some attitudes and mindsets which were so deeply ingrained in our personalities; we didn’t even think they could be removed. Yet, they disappeared without a trace, and we knew it was a God thing.
In the original language of the New Testament, the phrase “It is finished,” was translated from the Greek word Tetelestai. I was introduced to this word one day when I was well into my fourth year of permanent healing from addiction. I didn’t realize at the time that I was entering the phase of my recovery that would prove to be permanent.
It was through this word that I started to delve deeper into the power of the last words of Christ “It is finished.” I discovered the power of Tetelestai, during a year-long court battle which had been a residual consequence from my old life. The day I appeared in court to hear the verdict and receive my sentence, I claimed this scripture and the word Tetelestai over my case. I was relieved by the peace it held and became willing to accept whatever God had in store for me, even if it meant a year in prison.
I prayed this scripture and acknowledged the fact that God had already redeemed me. He had made me a new creation by healing me from addiction. As I was praying that morning, God was working on the judge. He gave the judge an insight into something that no one else had seen. To everyone’s surprise, he dismissed my case, and I walked out of there a free man.
We all knew that Jesus, my advocate, was at work in that courtroom. I also know that He delivered the insight into my judge’s mind around the same time my wife and I were praying that morning. When the verdict was given, it seemed as if Jesus said, “’It is finished! Let my servant, Marc get back to handling the work I’ve given him to do.”
I suffered from anxiety all my life and didn’t know what to call it. I self-medicated with drugs and alcohol, which only made the problem worse. I ended up hitting bottom in the worst way and was facing prison. Thankfully, I didn’t run. I did my time and that is where I met Jesus. I continued progress after my release and recently celebrated 17 years clean and sober.
Since leaving prison, God has placed people in my path who would help me in my journey. One was a doctor who understood addiction and provided me with safe, legal, non-addictive medication that relieved my anxiety. Later, God brought a man into my life who was also in recovery. He had found Jesus and sobriety while incarcerated several years earlier and was currently hosting AA and NA meetings in our local jail. We eventually married and now enjoy a life that is better than we ever imagined possible. We owe all credit to Jesus who gathered up our shattered lives and restored us to sanity.
Through our journey and subsequent prison ministry, we wrote the book, Tetelestai Recovery: It is Finished, which details our journey into the freedom and recovery found in the final words of Jesus, “It is finished!”
The Tetelestai Recovery Series is a collection of faith-based recovery books written by Marc and Lori Ridenour, based on their own experience with alcoholism and drug addiction. Rooted in the biblical declaration “It is finished” (John 19:30), the series offers a faith-based approach to finding lasting freedom from addiction and the emotional wreckage that accompanies it.
Available in Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook formats.
Volume 1: Tetelestai Recovery: It is Finished
Introduces the core concepts of the series. It targets suffering addicts, chronic relapsers, and their loved ones. The authors provide evidence of permanent sobriety by focusing on Christ’s ultimate healing rather than the traditional life-long struggle.
You can browse this volume on Amazon.
Volume 2: Our New Normal
Focuses on the often awkward and overwhelming early stages of sobriety. This book guides readers through identifying and resolving emotional and social dysfunctions, helping them navigate fears and resentments.
Volume 3: Leveling Up
A lifeline designed to assist individuals in achieving long-term, lasting victory over any addiction to reach their full potential.
We find that nothing spotlights our dysfunctions quite so vividly as when family shows up to help! Granted, it is a blessing to have family who care enough to show up, but we also know the risk. For those of us, whose tendency is to shut down emotionally when family dynamics are in play, our emotions become glitchy and start to malfunction. We say the wrong thing, blurt out secrets, wear the wrong clothes, belong to the wrong social groups, and vote for the wrong candidate.
It has been said that family is everything. Families can teach us about loyalty, behavior, and self-preservation. They can teach us work ethics and responsibility. Families also teach us how to be manipulative, sarcastic, and selfish. All families have their own layers of drama, chaos, and distrust.
Some families are quite ordinary. Some families are quite extraordinary. All families have dysfunctions, traditions, trauma, and mixed messages.
Family members know too much about each other and the history they all share. Family can push our buttons like no one else. Family can make us feel included or rejected; loved or despised; powerful or weak. Although family dynamics are messy, they are God’s plan for a place to start. Unfortunately, each generation has an ancestry made up of humans, so we all possess some elements of dysfunction within our family code…
Greed, lust, strife, envy, deception, and fear were familiar to us. Generosity, honesty, loyalty, wisdom, honor, and humility existed outside of our comfort zone. These traits seemed unattainable for those of us who seemed so deeply damaged.
We sometimes felt it was impossible to be comfortable in such unfamiliar territory.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)
Within these words of Jesus, we found our stability. We stopped beating ourselves up for failing to accomplish what no human could. We realized our New Normal was a gift from God. We could not force it or coerce it. We would not need to use our old manipulation techniques to con Him into giving us a new life.
We found relief in knowing that it was His pleasure to make us into the people He designed us to be.
As God delivered us from our sense of self-obsession and led us to a life of service in His Kingdom, our old methods of self-preservation seemed to stop working. When we disrespected others, we felt disgraced. When we shouted our aggression, we were repulsed by the sound of our own voice. When we played our manipulative mind games, we became sickened by our own maneuvers.
This left us in a peculiar predicament. Our former defense mechanisms and power plays were useless. The methods we had developed and perfected were worthless. There was nothing left of any value in our bag of tricks. The old life and the new life were out of sync. The disharmony in our souls sounded like an elementary school orchestra warming up before a concert. The conflict was deafening, and the sound of chaos nearly drove us mad.
Together, we explored the truth and finality of the power of Jesus’ words which delivered complete healing, grace, and forgiveness to all of mankind.
Not only did it call an end to addiction, dysfunction, and criminal behaviors, but it created a starting point for the beginning of something new, powerful, and unexpected. On the third floor of an old stone prison chapel, we embarked on a weekly tour of Jesus words and works. We explored, discovered, and embraced the expansive impact of His words, “It is finished!” into other areas of our lives where we still struggled.
There we found freedom, commitment, courage, grace, love, compassion, fulfillment, and the desire to face our ailments and our addictions head on and in a permanent manner. Christ’s grace and what he did on the cross cannot be undone and neither can his words “It is finished.”
We documented what we discovered in that old prison Chapel. We wanted to preserve for others the testimony of our experience with the power of Tetelestai. Jesus’ word had enabled us to move out of a lifestyle of relapse, despair, hopelessness, and criminal behaviors. We were able to move into something life-changing, and life-preserving, just like Christ’s work on the cross. We were excited to share how Jesus made us each a new creation.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
We are confident that the mental dysfunctions of our past are no longer a part of our reality, but when someone questions our sanity or sobriety, the words hang in the air and make us doubt. We wonder if we will ever be viewed as someone who is healed and delivered. Even though we are clean and have a sound mind, accusations and distrust threaten to rob us of the joy of our salvation.
Other statements that land a direct hit: “Once an addict; always an addict,” or “You are so… stupid, angry, ugly, creepy, aggressive, etc.” These insults are flung during conflicts, as an attempt to overpower and score a win. The irony is that none of the humans locked in conflict ever gain the upper hand. The enemy always does.
As we level up, we begin to recognize the powers of darkness laughing about how easily humans can be manipulated into turning on each other. We can see how every word one human throws at another during conflict or power plays serve as bricks the enemy can use to construct new strongholds in both…
Finding Total Recovery in the Words of Christ, "It is Finished!" 