Listen
by Jordan, Heroes in Recovery lead advocate
As any person in recovery will tell you, life during recovery isn’t perfect. I recently asked a friend of mine what life is like for him now that he is in recovery. He said, “Life is still life. There are still a lot of downs.” His statement seemed to hit the nail on the head for me. Even in recovery, with a life that is much improved over what a person previously experienced, there are ups and, unfortunately, there are downs. The ups are great and are much easier to deal with than the downs. The question is, “What is our attitude in handling these down times we will surely face?”
A lot of times, addicts and alcoholics have the attitude that we can fix whatever troubled situation we are in. We can be so stubborn in our thinking that we feel we are capable of solving any problem we encounter and fail to recognize that help is out there for us. Help comes in a thousand different forms. It can be a family member, a friend, a stranger, or something we read or see in our everyday lives. We can fight it or we can accept it.
I recently experienced a situation like this and chose to accept the help that was being given to me rather than shrugging it off and ignoring it. I was having a particularly tough morning. There were a few things going on that kept me from sleeping the night before and had me itching to get up early to go on a war path and solve these issues myself.
I stayed with my regular routine of going to the YMCA before work. I still had plans to go on that war path as I left the Y. On my way out, I picked up one of the “Spiritual Vitamins” pamphlets they have set out in the hallway. The piece of paper I picked up was a quote from the Beatitudes that said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) Instead of chalking this up as a mere coincidence, I realized God was providing the encouragement and wisdom that I was lacking.
From that moment on, everything seemed to change. My attitude was better, and my whole day got better. I didn’t go on the war path I had planned and, as a result, things worked themselves out better than I imagined. I had come to a fork in the road and, for once, I had chosen the right path. I had accepted the help God was trying to give me!
It might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but this was a huge learning experience for me. It emphasized something I know I should do, but don’t always do. The lesson for me was, “Be still and listen.” I was aware in that moment and knew God was using that little sheet of colored paper to speak to me—ALL I HAD TO DO WAS LISTEN! Alcoholics Anonymous says, “As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow, or the hereafter.” (pg. 63)
I was conscious of God’s presence in that moment and am certain it provided me the help I needed, at the exact moment I needed it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s God, a sponsor, a co-worker, a television commercial, or something we read—we have help available to us. The key is to choose to listen and accept the help that is awaiting us.