Settle down, it'll all be clear

I prayed last night.

I was sad / lonely / tired / carb craving / the list goes on and on.

I asked God to help me. I asked Him to show me that he was present in my life. I didn’t ask Him to fix anything. I just asked that He show me his grace. Some evidence that I’m still in His grace… that I’m not alone. I fell asleep at some point while talking to Him.

I woke up this morning to birds chirping. I shit you not. It was 18 degrees outside with a single digit wind chill and there was a bird chirping somewhere outside my window. I haven’t heard a bird make a peep in months. On top of that, as I was wiping the sleep from my eyes the song Home by Phillip Phillips was stuck in my head. I was all smiles. Then, while I was having my fake decaf coffee with coconut oil, Curtis calls me with a crazy story about some Instagram chick that had us both rolling with laughter. I get to work and, although Monday’s are always busy, today wasn’t overwhelming.

::side bar:: coconut oil is a great source of healthy fat. It is also something your belly needs some time to get used to. Trust me on this – 1. Do not exceed one tablespoon per serving / use. 2. Do not take coconut oil for the first time on a weekday. 3. Read the label regarding temperature and the physical state of the stuff. I tried it with iced coffee and my little mixey thingy combined the ice, cold water, and coconut oil into a slimy oily goop. This is not recommended : side bar::

Now while the consensus in the PC world seems to be that every person is entitled to their own opinion… having an opinion doesn’t make it correct. You can believe in God or not. Good luck with the “not” because you’re short changing your life. I can say with out a doubt that God exists and prayer works. 

“Any form of success was frightening and unfamiliar.”

Basic Text, p. 14

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Before coming to NA, few of us had much experience with success.  Every attempt to stop using on our own had ended in failure.  We had begun to give up hope of finding any relief from active addiction.  We had grown accustomed to failure, expecting it, accepting it, thinking it was just part of our makeup.

When we stay clean, we begin to experience success in our lives.  We begin to take pride in our accomplishments.  We start to take healthy risks.  We may take some knocks in the process, but even these can be counted as successes if we learn from them.

Sometimes when we fulfill a goal, we hesitate to “pat ourselves on the back” for fear that we will seem arrogant.  But our Higher Power wants us to succeed, and wants us to share with our loved ones the pride we take in our accomplishments.  When we share our successes with others in NA, they often begin to believe that they can achieve their goals as well.  When we succeed, we help lay the groundwork for others who follow in our path.

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Just for today:  I will take time to savor my successes.  I will share my victories with an “attitude of gratitude.”