Recovery Meditations: December 18th

ACTION

"You learn to speak by speaking,
to study by studying,
to run by running,
to work by working;
in just the same way,
you learn to love by loving."

St. Francis De Sales
(1567 - 1622)
(in French, St François de Sales)
Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland and a Roman Catholic saint.


St. Francis de Sales lived from 1567 to 1622. Isn't it amazing that a man who lived over 300 years before the birth of our recovery program could encapsulate its meaning in the above quote? Put another way, what St. Francis was saying was, "You work the program by working the program."

I've met so many people who had theoretical knowledge of recovery, but no practical experience. They don't work the program; they just talk the talk without walking the walk. I'm not proud to admit that I've been one of those people myself.

It's a wonderful feeling to actually work the program, to take the Steps, and to trust in the God of my understanding to keep me working it. Paying lip service to the program doesn't bring recovery; only working it does. Anything else is a waste of time and energy.

One Day at a Time . . .
I will work the program by working the program; today, I'll take action to bring about my recovery.

Jeff

**********************************************
"Theoretical knowledge"......................ah yes............all the 'knowledge' in the world doesn't equate to successful recovery.  All the books and graphs, and charts aren't worth a penny either.  How many diet books do we have? How many diet programs have we followed over the years, looking for the magical quick fix?

It's vital to find/develop a Food Plan for abstinence, and to then FOLLOW that Food Plan to FIND abstinence.

You work the program by working the program.  There are no shortcuts; no easy ways, no magical cures.  There is only hard work and commitment to following the Food Plan and the 12 Steps.

The only way out is through. 

For today, I am putting away all of my Theoretical Knowledge for Action.