Paused

TRUTH

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

James‬ ‭3‬:‭8

REFLECTION

“Pause when agitated or doubtful.”

Recovery is full of helpful one-liners like this.

They’ve been incredibly helpful for me over the years. They do what scripture does—give me something to anchor myself to.

This simple suggestion of pausing is not easy when we need to use it. In the moments of irritation and confusion when I need to pause, I typically want to take action—to do something!

Because I still have the desire to change how I feel. I don’t want to be disconcerted. I want to be confident and happy.

I don’t want to be irked. I want to be light and free.

I don’t want to concede. I want to win and be satisfied.

There’s not always inherent wrongness in any of these things. But when I cannot walk through the ordinary emotions of life without trying to manipulate them to suit my needs, I have developed an allergy to acceptance that could be dangerous.

Another anchor of recovery is the serenity prayer.

Front and center is its insistence to accept the things we cannot change.

We need God’s wisdom to know which things we ought not change, and this takes a lifetime of continued practice.

Usually, an outburst is not helpful. Our words are twice as likely to hurt someone when our emotions are amped up.

God, help me know when and how to speak.

SPONSOR

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NEXT

When you’re ready, here are some tools for you:

1. Book List (amazon link)
   Some of my favorite reads related to recovery and/or wrestling with faith.

2. 4th Step Guide (free download)
   A PDF with instructions and worksheets for a thorough 4th step. Straight from the Big Book. Fearlessness not included.

3. 12-Step Christianity (YouTube)
   My thoughts on the parallels between discipleship and sponsorship.

KEEP LEANING FORWARD

Cheers, Eamonn
Contact on LinkedIn, YouTube & Twitter.