By: Aaron W.
Today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
“Today you will be with me in paradise,” Jesus spoke to a criminal hanging next to him, one living in the reality of his punishment. In honesty, I often want to be that man, but without the cost of suffering or facing my own inner turmoil.
In Michael O’Brien’s A Father’s Tale, a character reflects that three crosses grow in every heart: the cross of Jesus, the repentant thief, and the unrepentant thief. He notes that while we hope to suffer like Jesus or even the repentant thief, we often find ourselves as the unrepentant thief—resentful and making others pay for our unhappiness. Yet, seeing ourselves as we truly are is the precondition for repentance. When we acknowledge we are the unrepentant thief, the wellsprings of spiritual transformation open, and we can turn to Jesus for forgiveness, becoming the repentant thief.
Much of my addiction and recovery was spent avoiding suffering by blaming others for my discomfort and then acting out or acting in to cope with the pain. I refused to face reality, trapped in cycles of shame. However, acknowledging and accepting my character defects and taking ownership of my impact on others allows for ground of true transformation.
While the repentant thief only asks to be remembered, Jesus offers His presence: “Today you will be with me…” If the opposite of addiction is connection, this “paradise” takes root in the furrowed soil of our brokenness. It is incredible that Jesus, in His own agony, communicates a desire to be with the one living in reality.
