“The Courage to Face Our Strengths”
Many of us have a hard time facing our weaknesses and failures. I do too. Some of us have an even harder time facing our strengths. Here is a blog that may help you to face up to your strengths. It most certainly helped me!
This post is a very slightly edited e mail exchange that helped to kick-start my day. G. is a friend from my 12-step group, and is one of the most interesting, sharp, and encouraging people I know.
I have edited the exchange in order to respect the anonymity of both G. and me. I am the “D.” in the exchange. His e mail to me comes first. My reply to G. follows.
“Dear D.
I spent half of this last year faking it, hoping to make it. I prayed, I surrendered to God, I listened for God. It took that time just to start hearing something from Him. Eventually I realized He was talking to me all along. I just didn’t see how.
One of the ways I figured it out was watching and listening to you. You understand God as well as any person I know. Your ability to tell us things that God is saying is amazing.
Now you say that you are not good at talking with God. That doesn’t exactly make a novice like me see any hope. You just don’t see it.
I watch you talk about your wife, and I see God speaking in both of you. I watch that because watching you as you think about her tells me all I need to know. I listen and watch you talk about bible verses and I see a man who is connecting to God and the prophets.
So once again you are reducing the positive effects of you thoughts by diminishing yourself. As Bob Newhart said: “STOP IT”. Look it up if you don’t know.
You are a better man than that. The only problem is, I don’t know if you’ll ever see how much God loves you until you let Him tell you and you believe it. We may be a bunch of addicts, but everyone in SLAA (except for a couple) Knows you’re a good person, a smart person, a loving person, in touch with God, and a great friend.
So right now, stand up, look to heaven, and say to God: You made me a good person, I know I’m a good person, and I’m going to show myself I am and listen to You whenever You tell me something.) Then relax and clear your mind. That warm fuzzy feeling is God talking to you. Even I know that.
If you show this to your wife (that’s fine), now is when she can kick your butt for me. You said to call you out. I hope you weren’t kidding.
Your Friend
G.
| Top of Form
Bottom of Form
|
Recent Comments