This semester I have had the privilege of interning at a drug and alcohol rehab center for women. It has been an experience that I would not trade for anything and also one I wish everyone could experience. Addiction Recovery is hard, it’s not pretty, and it makes people vulnerable. However, it also makes people search, makes them available and makes them open to new ways of life. You see, we all search for things to fill us, to make us happy, or cheer us up. People in recovery are the same, they looked for things just like I do, and you do, and the difference is that they landed on a substance and not a Netflix show. And the ONLY THING that separates me from them, you from them, is the grace of God alone. That could be me, should be me, and could be you.
But the beautiful thing is that I have never met people so open, so willing, and so desperate in need for something deeper. Never have I been able to see the need for Jesus more than I have this semester and never have I been around people so hungry for it.
Now I know what you’re thinking. How does this relate to the library? Well let me tell you.
I have read, borrowed and skimmed dozens of books in the Library about addiction. And let me tell you, there’s plenty.
But not just that.
The Library is simply where it starts. You find a book, you check it out, you read it, your take notes (maybe), and you return it. But it’s what you do after that, it’s how you act on the information you just read, it’s how you follow Jesus’ commands using that newfound information, it’s how you treat people.
So do yourself a favor, visit the Library (there’s plenty of topics to find), check out a book, read it, and then make use of it!
~Kristen Holmes
Masland Library 