Following Through

Friday April 21, 2023

In “How It Works” we read and hear the following words read regularly at meetings: Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program.” (Big Book of AA page 58) Anyone who has made an honest attempt at recovery knows the hard work that is required. What gives us encouragement and hope is that many who have diligently done the required work have succeeded.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:4 NIV)

Clearing the wreckage of our past and rebuilding our character and our relationships isn’t accomplished in a day. We contribute to that goal every day, for sure, but effort over time is what is required to meet our long-term goals.

We can know all sorts of things about God as we come to believe that He is a power greater than ourselves who can restore us to sanity. We can even decide to turn our will and life over to His care. The real test of our desire for recovery is the follow-through of putting God’s Word and the Steps into practice, one day at a time. Some days will be relatively easy and other days will require every bit of strength and commitment we can muster.

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Romans 12:12, Galatians 6:9 NLT)

Who of us enjoys doing a searching, fearless, and moral inventory and then admitting the exact nature of our wrongs? It’s painful to acknowledge our character defects and then ask God to remove them. Making a list of those we have harmed and making amends to them is intimidating for most of us. However, God’s promises and the experience, strength, and hope of those who have gone before us tell us that, as we follow this path and do things one step at a time, God will get us to our goal.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I often want the “quick fix” and find it hard to follow through on the challenging parts of becoming the person You created me to be. Help me to fix my eyes on Your principles and strengthen me to do the Step work required of me each day. Amen

Following Through

Audio for Following Through

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Giving Hope