Meditations on "Acceptance"

We will never feel acceptable to God or to others while we allow who we truly are to be determined by our past.

How often have we found ourselves in conversation with someone and a remark is made that “pushes our button?” When something like this happens, we need to consider the cause. We are clearly not at peace with something inside us and whatever that is, it needs to be brought to the light so that we can be healed.

We do a disservice to others when we continually do things for them that, with instruction, they can do for themselves.

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.

To show discretion is to know the right thing to do in a situation and to behave in such a way that we don't cause offense. Quite the challenge.

Although we know that "half measures avail us nothing," it's also wonderful to have the promise that, "If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through." (Big Book, pg 83-84)

Covering up traumatic events with painkillers does not make them go away.  In fact, as so many of us can testify, the memories, whether we are consciously aware of them or not, cause fear and shame to grow and become like mountains that block and confuse our thinking and affect our behaviour.  God invites us to bring the trauma we have suffered and its impact on us to Him for comfort and healing.

When sheep are under the care of the Good Shepherd they can lie down and know they are safe in His care.

God wants to help us know what is right and good. All we have to do is ask Him.

Outside of God, we can’t even maintain the desire to do what is right let alone find the strength to act on what we know we ought to do.

Recovery begins when we admit that the power behind our addiction is beyond our control.

What seems impossible for us to believe is only impossible when God is not involved