Independence is something we seem to want, but too much of it can cause problems. It was a good thing when the colonists rebelled over 240 years ago…a new country was established. People want independence; they don’t want to be told what to do, they want to do it their way. Sometimes too much independence leads to unwise choices and problems, such as addiction. Many of the guests that come to Open Door Mission either come from prisons, a much regimented lifestyle, or from a life of addiction, no rules or restraints. At Open Door Mission they learn how to be independent, on their own, but dependent on Jesus to guide their new life.
Relearning a new lifestyle isn’t easy, but the staff at the Mission helps each person find their way to being a new, stronger and happier person. Through classes and discussions they learn to control “too much independence” or learn to have “good independence” so that they make good decisions in life. Knowing that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, will also be there to help them in difficult times gives strength to adapt to their new independence. Classes provide “tools” for the tool belt they need to face each day. Becoming involved in a church provides much needed Bible basics, as well as a good safety net, when the world starts begins to crowd in. Independence is wonderful, especially when that independence is lived with the knowledge it comes with responsibility to one’s self and others. The graduates from Open Door Mission‘s New Life Recovery Program have learned and earned their independence.