Recovery Meditations: March 6th

Scars

“Dwelling on the negative
simply contributes to its power.”
Shirley MacLaine

I’ve lived most of my life filled with bitterness towards people, God and myself. My mind, soul, and body were consumed by hatred, self-pity, pain, hopelessness, and a complete sense of powerlessness. I focused my energy on reviewing my scars. I counted them, checked them, nurtured them, and flaunted them. They were proof of all the wrongs I’d endured. They were my source of energy. They were my identity. They were my badge of sorrow.

As I work my recovery, I am beginning to see everything from a new perspective. Gradually my head is lifted and my eyes are turned away from my once-beloved scars. The more I allow myself to accept that my powerlessness is not a prison of doom, the more I discover that it is my doorway to faith, surrender, and serenity.

My scars are still here. There is no magic potion to remove them. What is magical, however, is that I see them so differently. I find that I have a choice to make every day: I can cherish my scars as proof of the pain I have suffered, or I can be thankful for them as evidence of things I have survived. Scar tissue forms and creates a stronger, thicker skin in its place. I can either pick at it and make it bleed, or I can welcome the lessons and endurance it has built into my life.

One day at a time...
I will choose to see my scars as proof of the difficulties I have survived. I will choose to appreciate them as evidence that God has brought me through suffering and has used all things to strengthen my faith in Him, my hope for tomorrow, and my serenity for today.

~ Lisa

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If I wear my scars as a badge of honor, I dwell in negativity & justify overeating.  Nothing drives me to the refrigerator faster than self-pity.

Sure, I may have suffered through some traumas I didn't deserve, but through scar tissue comes wisdom.

What you may view as a hardship or a curse, I may view as a blessing.  If I hadn’t born the burdens of my hardships and mistakes, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the blessing of where I am today; happy & healthy & thriving in recovery.

Scar tissue forms and creates a stronger, thicker skin in its place. I can either pick at it and make it bleed, or I can welcome the lessons and endurance it has built into my life.

Accepting God into my life has opened my heart and helped me to realize that I am not in control of the world; He is.  Admitting powerlessness over my addictions has helped me surrender them to the One who can and will bear them FOR me.  

For today, I will appreciate the wisdom I've gained through adversity.  I will give thanks for being a compulsive overeater because, by suffering that pain, I found the fellowship of OA which has changed my life for the better.