Partners in Hope

When we begin the recovery process we are often overwhelmed by the guilt and shame of the mess we have made of our lives. Being confident in our minds that we can live a positive and joyful life is half the battle.

We are instructed to work hard, to give our work the best effort we can, and to be contented with what we have.

In sobriety, we begin to be aware of how much spiritual poison we have allowed to build up in our hearts and minds. The most toxic spiritual poison we have fed ourselves is the belief that we know how to live life on our own without God.

We would sink into despair if, when we admitted we were powerless, if we didn’t look around for someone, or something to help us.  And that’s what Step Two marks out for us.

No matter who we are or how we think we have life managed, for all of us there comes a time when we can find ourselves in a place we would rather not be – a place of brokenness, helplessness, and it seems impossible to fix things.  It’s at those moments we have to admit that all is not well and that we need to think hard and make some choices about where our life will go from here.

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have been an enormous help to millions of people who have struggled not only with alcohol but a variety of other substances and addictive habits from  food addiction to pornography, gambling or anger issues.  The list is long. The steps are set out in a particular order for good reasons. They invite us to forgiveness and healing but we have to embark on a journey to get from where we are to where healing is. One step at a time will get us there.