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TRUTH
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
James 2:19
REFLECTION
It does me little good to fall in line with the obvious: professions of facts do not replace execution through action.
Stating things about my illness will not do a thing to remove them, though there is a time for this when sharing my experience with another.
Importantly, though, we must move past the intellectual hurdle of knowing what is wrong and into the spiritual battle of conquering it.
Immediately, we are met with a seemingly ridiculous proposition.
We are told to let go, to give up, to stop trying to fix ourselves, to relinquish control.
We are told that recovery is a we program.
We are told that even though we’ve found a way out (reportedly) we cannot actually hold onto it through willpower.
It takes more than we have.
It takes a surrender.
Turns out surrendering is one of the hardest things to do.
I’m great at grabbing hold of things. I excel at not letting go.
But take heart, we are not alone in the struggle. Nearly everyone has difficulty with this dying to self that we are suggested to try out.
It takes a divine force. It is one of those “God things” you hear people mutter about.
It’s not formulaic, but there are many suggestions and spiritual templates to try on for size.
God will meet us where we are if we ask. He will help us if we will get out of the way.
God, show me the shortcut to surrender.
SPONSOR
Reflection and gratitude are invaluable in recovery. Gratitude Plus is a social gratitude journal with an anonymous global feed. Try Gratitude Plus now.
NEXT
When you’re ready, here are some tools for you:
Book List (amazon link)
Some of my favorite reads related to recovery and/or wrestling with faith.4th Step Guide (free download)
A PDF with instructions and worksheets for a thorough 4th step. Straight from the Big Book. Fearlessness not included.12-Step Christianity (YouTube)
My thoughts on the parallels between discipleship and sponsorship.
KEEP LEANING FORWARD
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