low living

Why Relapse?

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes

I can help myself stop thinking about it. I have a job now. I get to see my kids and have a place to stay. Things are better now than they have been in years…why can’t I just stop thinking about using again?

Last evening in a small group discussion, not one, but two men said these words. Others in the group nodded their understanding, going through, or having been through the same thing. The fear of relapse is heavy on them. So heavy, in fact, that they cannot see solutions, hopelessly rambling to relieve some of the pressure. 

“Keep doing what you are doing and you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.”

I heard this statement early on in my recovery from alcohol and drug use. That goes for recovery as well as using. If you and I keep doing what helped us get clean and sober, we stay clean and sober. If we keep using and boozing, we will keep losing. The one straddling the fence, however, has one foot in the past and one in the future and miss the concept, “just for today.” We only have a daily reprieve, and that is only if we do what is necessary to maintain freedom from addictions.

When most people struggle with their compulsion, they wrestle using willpower, doomed to fail and relapse. Forgetting how we received the gift of sobriety is where relapse begins, and that long before one actually does the deed. For some, they feel it would have been better for them to have never gotten clean, than to go back and do it again, killing their confidence, disappointing their loved ones.

“But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, ‘ and ‘a sow, after washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Pet.2:22

So if you are struggling to stay clean and sober, how did you get sober in the first place? If it came from being incarcerated, or from family insistence, or from most rehab programs, you have little to fall back on to maintain your freedom. If sobriety comes from getting to meetings, prayer, working the steps, serving others, etc., you have something to fall back on. Being diligent goes miles in recovery. 

In short, if you are having a bad time with the compulsions, get to your knees, ask God for help. Get to a meeting, get on the phone to your sponsor…or get a sponsor, get into your devotional readings, get out of self and help another. The word get implies action and diligence. Diligence from the onset of recovery can keep the desire to do it again nothing more than a passing thought. 

Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all.

Advertisements

Snitch

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes

I never dreamed of being a rat when I lived the party life. That was death to friendships. It wasn’t only that people would isolate you permanently, it was that I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror again. No one wants anything to do with a tattle-tale. We alcoholics and addicts were a family, we had principles and standards.

Getting clean and sober caused me to change many things for me. Being a snitch wasn’t one of those changes. I was told early in recovery, “you only have to change one thing in recovery…everything!” Yet, that thought I struggled to keep, I could not sing to the law, no matter what, I won’t snitch!
Something I said to God each day in prayer was; “God I want to please you more than anything, show me what pleases you.” I also had this desire to devour the Word, the more I read it, the more I understood what pleased Him, and I became consumed by the Word.
This passage came to me as a moment of clarity, an epiphany, that changed my thoughts of keeping secrets for evil people bent on making money at the expense of the addicted and tormented. Also, watching those I knew personally die, and their families grieving, gave me the needed wake up call:
Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “surely we did not know this.” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? Prov.24:11-12
The son, the daughter, friend, or spouse that lost their life to overdose, drunk driving, as well as those incarcerated for driving drunk and killing others, would have loved the person who “blew the whistle” on them, if they knew what would be. But they didn’t. They died, or are in jail. Their families are in ruin, little children lost a mommy, or a daddy. At least their close friends, like me, didn’t rat them out. 
We let them kill themselves or others, and give little, or no thought of what became of their children. Maybe it would not have stopped them. Maybe they would still be around and the grief their families experience today would never have happened. And they may hate the one who snitched on them forever.
That’s okay. In recovery, we know the importance of doing the next right thing. Rescuing those set on dying, or trying to do so, is right. That old “honor among thieves” attitude is one of many deceptions of wickedness, ending in sorrow.
My desire to please God takes top place in my personal values. I will “drop a dime” on a drug dealer in a second, providing I know the facts. I am also full of righteous indignation toward what heroin, crack, meth, and booze is doing to our society. I have had enough funeral’s to attend that may have been avoided.
So don’t tell me if you deal dope, if you actively use it, or if you know of someone who does either. I don’t want you to die, or your family destroyed. I am determined not to look away, and face God knowing I did.
Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all.

Still Needing Help

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes

Make it to Meetings

A friend and I were standing outside of the AA biker club the other night, talking about recovery meetings. We were not talking about the meeting we were about to attend, who was chairing the meeting, or which meetings we preferred to attend. The conversation was all about our need to attend meetings, even after long-term sobriety.
Walt has over two decades of living clean and sober. When I first met him, I was very impressed, hearing what he had to say in meetings, and his eloquent appeal to those in the room to live in freedom, and to follow directions out of the hell they’ve given themselves to. He nearly lost his life to drinking and drugging. Walt learned the secret to sober living, and passed it on to others, like me.He said to me, “Keith, I’m still broken. I still need fixing, I need to hear what is said in these rooms.” His past was dark, full of sorrow and hurts. He never wants to return there, so he said, “I still need to come here.”

I share that sentiment with him. We have broken pasts that have had a great effect on our present and future. That effect is to infect as many as we can with the hope of living free from addiction, to stop attending meetings to just get help, and be a help. We both know we walk the razor’s edge when we stop attending, serving, and praying. Many have. Many have died because they did. He and I know we have to keep humility as an aim each day, asking God for help.

“There is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of short comings which the process requires for its successful consummation. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it….there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.” 

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pg.25
 
Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all.

The Hurting and the Hidden

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes
I really had intended to lay off the blogs for a time, you know, I was kinda looking at how many hours I spend weekly on these posts, and if it were not for the stats I receive from my web host, I would think I’m talking to myself. Thanks again for those of you who read my blogs, I hope they are helpful to you. A new year has arrived and my intent is to work harder to serve more while staying balanced body, soul, and spirit. I’ll need God’s strength for that goal to be realized.
I went to the Hope House tonight and told my story to the men living there. The youngest of these was a young man of 18, struggling for hope, reaching his hearing for words of inspiration that may change the direction of his life. There were many others in the room and some listened intently, others were there to maybe just get out of their room. All of these bottomed out from a life of self-serving, or pushed to the bottom from their upbringing. That is a strange word, isn’t it. Down-casting may be a better way of describing the lives of some these dear men’s lives. Yeah, I know, they had a choice, they chose wrong, you didn’t, so it becomes easy to point out how their life went south.
My previous talk to a group was in a golf clubhouse in a neighborhood of which the low-end homes were probably a half a mil, easy. I sensed their sincerity and concern for the bottomed out and broken, and in that room as well, there was hurting and brokenness from addictions and co-dependency. The rich, the poor, and the in-between, problems seem insurmountable. All of us need help from our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. We must have direction, leadership, parenting by the godly to return to this country, or heaven help us.
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 25:21
Do you sense the hurting of the drug and alcohol addicted? the porn addict? the gambler? the co-dependent family and friends? It’s their choice, right? I wonder who has the greater addiction, the one using drugs, or the one passing the judgment so easily. I am disturbed in my spirit by my own insensitivity towards the judgmental crowd, their addiction to their opinions and personal haughtiness. And disturbed I should be…I’m in their number. It isn’t just the drug user or the alcoholic that do what is right in their own eyes. We all do, thinking we’re above reproach. Mercy, humility, concern…where are you?
Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all.

Get Up Off of Your Sorry Butt

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes

The title of this post does not have anything to do with advent, I needed to change directions today. I’m a little perplexed today so I thought I may  vent a moment, you kn0w, be angry and sin not. Actually, I am not angry, a bit frustrated by all of us recovering addicts, as well as those with hurts, habits, and hang-ups, and are sitting on our hands thinking any moment we may have an epiphany that provides the answer to overcoming our problem. “I’ve been praying hard,” or “I don’t know why I continue to struggle,” are two things I hear so often that really make me want to puke. If you and I hold our hands close to a fire and exclaim how hot the fire is and it is burning our fingers, what in the name of all that is good should we do? Try moving away from the fire!

When I was still in the throes of my addiction to alcohol I knew that this problem would not go away. I knew that God would help me if I asked Him to. So I asked, and drank, and asked and drank, daily, nightly, until I picked up the phone and called the pastor at the local Vineyard. He made several suggestions of things I could possibly do to overcome this addiction. Of course, I had an excuse for why those wouldn’t work for me. He said he would get back to me. I attended church faithfully for several weeks following our conversation and each time he saw me he would say, “I haven’t forgotten you.” Right, this guy couldn’t give a hoot if I live or die…another one of those too busy working for God to reach down and help you types, I thought. There was a method to his madness. He knew, I think, that I would get tired of the way I was living and finally take one of his original suggestions. And that is exactly what happened. I became so miserable that I prayed and then acted, and made my way to AA. If I had not put my faith into action and walked through the doors of AA, I would still be wrapped in the grip of alcohol. God didn’t walk through the door and hand me an addendum to the scripture. He didn’t cause that TV evangelist to look into that camera, describe me to a tee, and pronounce a miracle in my life….ah, sudden and miraculous healing!

No, God prompted me to try AA, and when I sat in recovery for a time, the epiphany came, the miracle happened! I can see how His grace worked marvelously for me. It was not just freedom from alcohol that I needed. I needed to understand my denial, accept and tolerate others with different problems, in short, I needed to get up off of my butt and grow up. That word tolerance is probably the reason for this post. If I were intolerant, I would not be posting this, I would be in someone’s face instead of typing. God is gracious and kind, and I am striving to imitate Him in patience and wisdom.

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ has loved us and given Himself for us. an offering and a sacrifice to God”…Eph.5:1-2a

There it is. I want to be as much like Abba (daddy) as possible. I can say with righteous indignation, that you MUST do what I had to do to get better. Stop setting on your brains a rise and get healed! Don’t look for God to part the Ohio, and Mississippi rivers as a sign. He knows you would think, “wow, what a coincidence, I just prayed that would happen so I would know what to do, hmm, what about that,” then go on asking for a sign. You cannot lie in bed a wonder why your sick. You cannot look at the family Bible on the coffee table and believe it, nor understand what God wants you to know. Action, Action, and more action. Rise and be healed, body, soul, and spirit.

Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all!

Came to Believe

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes

I can be fixed on my personal way of thinking that I cannot see another’s point of view. The way I was raised was the right way. The foods I grew to enjoy were the right foods. The clothes I wore were the right clothes, there was nothing that my family did that was wrong. I’m sure you felt the same about your upbringing. The many things in life that I refused to accept as the right way changed for me and in time, and increased learning, I came to believe that there was other ways of doing things. Today I don’t feel there is much left of my past way of thinking I hold on to.

I have always held onto my belief in God even through years of alcoholism and drug use in which I seldom prayed or thought of God. When i came to the end of myself and began to ask God for help, He then took me places I didn’t expect, to experience things I would have never believed was right earlier in life. I finally made myself attend a meeting of alcoholics Anonymous because I could no longer manage my life. I was powerless over alcohol, the drink had whipped me good.

Step two: “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous pg.59

This step puzzled me. A power greater than ourselves…isn’t that God? I thought they should say God could , not a higher power. I later discovered that AA is a program to help everyone, even the atheist or agnostic. Anyone seeking help would get help. All they needed was a desire to stay sober whether they believed in God or not. Many came to faith after they came to sobriety, because they came to believe. In AA/NA, Celebrate Recovery, and many other addiction programs, when people come to, they come to believe in God, at least the majority do.

Sanity needs to be restored for the addict/alcoholic. We have tried to control our drinking and drug use through various methods, switching from hard liquor to beer, drinking six days per week instead of seven, or going to pot smoking to avoid drinking altogether. But none of these methods came close to relieving us of are addiction. What worked for those early pioneers of AA was there same thing that relieved me. It was surrender. The total admission of my powerlessness and need for God’s help was the beginning of a new life, drink and drug free.

I have stopped thinking that my way is the right way. I have given up running the universe, that got me a seat in AA and was very expensive. Not money only, but broken relationships, loss of property, and letting down people who looked up to me. How about you? Have you surrendered your will and life over to God’s care? Maybe you are not an alcoholic or drug addict, but a family member is, and you are codepedent. Surrender is a must for you too. God is waiting, come back to the land of the living, you won’t be sorry.

Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all!

I Struggle With…Recovery Meetings

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes
Recovery from addictions can be difficult for some, easy for others. Once the compulsions to whatver the addiction is goes away, then the one with the problem is able to relax little by little until they seldom remember their cravings. This is a great feeling, and should make the sufferer see how that they had been driven to near insanity from the pain they had endured. But too often it doesn’t. When the pain subsides, the committee holding sessions in your head adjourns, the recovering addict or alcoholic tends to relax, entering the danger zone.
Getting clean and sober is accompanied with an important stipulation, staying clean and sober. Too many people come to recovery meetings and make a snap judgment about AA, NA, and especially Celebrate Recovery. I say that because so many people attending CR are believers that fear everyone will know that have an issue, and judge them not as perfect any longer. In AA/NA, many come because everyone already knows they have a problem. In all of these helpful programs, many come and go without ever getting help. They think, now that I have been clean and sober for a while, there is no need to continue those meetings. They never grasp the true concept of real life-changing recovery…the spiritual side.
This is from page 568 of AA’s Big Book:
“We find that no one need have a difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty, and open mindedness ar essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.”
True and truer words were never spoken in this book. Some give up on recovery meetings because they do not like the spiritual side of the simple 12-step programs. Others do not like the spirituality of the program because they were not raised to believe that way. In that particular case, I say you need to look into changing the way you were raised, it obviously did you no good. I see that these true spoken words really can keep you sober as the statement indicates, for honesty and willingness can get you far in any endeavor.
The problem is that without a direct relationship with God, most people tend to not be honest, willing, and are definitely closed minded, including religious people…especially religious people. Walking away without giving these programs a chance helping you get better is foolish when you know millions have been helped. That knee-jerk reaction can land you in a morgue.
I know that not everyone that reads my blogs have issues like this, but they have loved ones who do. These loved ones leave meetings and tell you anything to make you happy, and you take the hook, line, and sinker with one gulp. Investigate, give these programs a chance to work for you. You were in trouble, you asked God for help, He saw to it that you made it to recovery meetings, but you, or your loved one didn’t like the way something went, and back they go for another round of self-destruction.
Check out these programs if you are the one with the addiction, or if it is your friend or family member. If you and I refuse to at least get to these God-sent programs, we will die as we are right now. We may think we will change one of these days, a lie from that devil speaking into our ears, or from an over-inflated ego, but the change will not come “one of these days.”
Page 568 ends with this quote:
“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”   Herbert Spencer
I will end with this. You cannot say to God on the day of Judgment that you didn’t like CR/AA/NA, and since you did not know, you went head on and threw your life away, self serving all the way. The believer cannot stand before the judgment seat of Christ and complain about their reward not being big enough and they didn’t know they could actually serve in CR at their church. Why? Because I just told you about it! Now get in, get out, or get run over.
Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all.

Blessing For All

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes
If you’re a sports fan, you often hear atheletes say “I’m blessed,” normally after they win. People talk about their children and use the word “blessed.” At the dinner table many call the prayer over their food the “blessing.” There are many uses of the word “bless.” The word is defined: to request of God the bestowal of divine favor on, to guard from evil, to make or pronounce as holy.
There was a time when the head of the family would pronounce blessing upon his children before his death. In Genesis 27, Isaac blesses Jacob before he passes, and his blessing over Jacob was for both he and his descendants. The same goes for Jacob as he passes. Genesis 48-49, Jacob blesses his 12 sons. If you read these blessings placed on the sons, the fathers of Israel’s 12 tribes and know of their history, you will not only see the importance of the patriarch’s blessing, but also see the fulfillment throughout scripture. Jacob, (Israel), blessed his 12 sons, and God stood behind his blessing to their fulfillment. Jacob bestowed divine favor on his children.
There are many examples throughout scriptures of blessings, and knowing this, it is very apparent that by blessing another, we bring divine favor on that person. We can and do bless, or curse our own children. We bless or curse our spouses, our employers, and friends by our words over them. Telling a child they won’t amount to anything if they don’t apply themselves may be true, but wrong in it’s presentation. Comparing one child to another is terribly wrong. Those things you’re saying to them is prophetic whether you believe it or not. Just think of the things your parents said to you, and tell me differently if you can.
We must say words of blessing and encouragement over our children, spouses, friends, co-workers, and really everyone we meet. By blessing our children, placing the favor of God on them, things will begin to change in their lives in dramatic fashion. So how do you bless them? What words do you say to bless others? Let’s look at Numbers 6:22-27
And the Lord spoke to Moses saying: “Speak to Aaron and his sons saying, this is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.So they shall put My Name on the children of Israel, and I WILL BLESS THEM.
You may have heard these words at church or at your synagogue quite often, and they may have lost or have no meaning to you. But think on these words in the passage. God said that when this blessing is pronounced over the people, His Name is placed upon the people. The Eternal Self-Existing Creator of everything created, stands behind these words.
His name encompasses everything needed for a person to live a life of blessing.  And the scriptures are full of examples of blessings to others, even to bless God, set Him apart as holy in our lives. My purpose in this blog is that we learn to bless others, not curse them by wishing evil to happen to them. Don’t even think those thoughts of “I hope they get what they deserve.” You may get what you deserve with those thoughts. No, let’s think good toward others, let’s place blessings on others.
Let’s go to our churches and recovery meetings to be a blessing instead of going to get a blessing. And bless each other, our homes, our families, even strangers we meet everyday. God bless and keep you. God grant you the prayers you ask of Him. May God prosper you, and keep you in health.

Politics and Poppycock

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes

There we go again, gearing up for the next election and who we shall give the reins of leadership of our beloved nation. We pick a leader we think will guide us into peace and prosperity, giving us and our children a hope and a bright future. Not me. I want to elect a leader that is ready to go to war! I want someone who can say what they mean and mean what they say. To have a leader that leaves the world of politics by not dancing around issues, and speaking with the proverbial “forked tongue,” would be novel, wouldn’t it.

I’m not a war-monger, I do not want another Iraq or Afghanistan, nor do I want our nation to police the entire globe. I do want a fight, here, at home. This fight is one that requires a man or woman who will give their agenda out in detail, and if elected, goes directly to work on it. This leader is not going to ignore the will of the people. We have leaders now who fight alright, but they fight to keep things as they are and retain what they have…power. Servants? Not these guys. For the most part they are self-serving. There needs to be a 12 step program for politicians that teaches them how to serve the people and be genuine. I think I would like to attend one their recovery meetings. Hello, my name is …..and I am an ego-maniac.

This country seems to want to please everyone with an issue that the majority disagrees with. The majority does not mind having the ten commandments on a school lawn. An individual may find it offensive, and the monuments are removed. Their claim is they do not believe in religion. The ACLU rushes in with demands of immediate removal or funding from the government will be cut off, citing the separation of church and state. (By the way, that term is not in the Constitution.)  The end result is a law suit defending the rights of the individual, a judge that rules that they must be removed from government property because the students may read them and believe them, and they are removed.

 

Does anyone care about the rights of the majority? The voters do not seem to care. You’ll get no fight here. Side note: could it be the reason for the drop in rank from the top ten in education worldwide, to twenty-seventh? Or maybe the reason for troubled youths entering into addictions in adolescence? I want a fight against this insanity.

“Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Prov. 29:18
“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Prov. 29:2

The truth is, we don’t fight anything regarding politics, out of fear of what people may say and think about us. There is not any real war on drugs as far as I can see. Youths under eighteen, even as young as seven or eight, are hooked so bad they prostitute themselves out to afford their fix. The pedophile community is growing, and becoming fearless, knowing there is judges that will not keep them out of society very long if they are caught and jailed. The drug and alcohol problem helps feed their addiction by supplying drugs to kids, they get what they want. We have no restraint. There are few voices that cry out against these evils. I want war! I want leaders that want to fight!

The media outlets have an agenda that serves both the left and the right, but not the people. They think the people too ignorant to know the truth on any topic, so they give you what they want you to believe, and do this convincingly. They say very little about the decline in education, the rampant drug addictions on nearly every street in our cities, or the evils of pornography that is consuming the minds of men and women, and kids, destroying families. Why? Because it is more important to talk about Lindsey Lohan, or to give the wacko who kills a dozen people a grandstand of publicity, and make the next shooter determined to do the same and receive the same attention. We don’t fight that. In fact, we concur with their reports on nearly every issue because they are the news, that is all they report, they are not biased because they say they are not.

Politicians that are honest walk very softly, and speak even softer, knowing that if they speak the truth they will be crucified politically. If a minister says these national evils and natural disasters we face are satanic, or judgment from God, they are vilified and publicly disgraced. Give me a leader to follow, one who wants to fight back. The government is not the answer and cannot make enough programs to “fix” this morally bankrupt society. We need less programs and big goverment and more self-government.

 

The current administration really believes that the government can fix the problems by taking more from the rich and distributing it to the poor. Socialism does not work, and never will. Hating the wealthy is normal for the poor, but the wealthy is who writes your paycheck, not the poor. The fight is coming, like it or not, no matter who wins.

We are a divided people. The youth today, as in my day is attracted to the speech, to the glitter of fame, and believe the one who talks the best. Adolf Hitler talked the best in his day. He talked much about goodly morals and principles he believed in, but proved himself a liar to the people, imprisoning Christian leaders, eventually murdering them, along with the Jews, Gypsies, handicapped, and anyone he deemed inferior. Satan himself appears as an angel of light. I am convinced of this, what you say you believe is reflective of how you live. Saying and doing are politicians big dilemma, being, what do I need to say to get elected?  And then doing what you planned if elected. We are divided. Multiculturalism can cause us to think differently, that is normal. But it does not change history. When we see a direction, and know historically that the direction will be bad for the people, that person should look for another career. We must fight, and win.

There will soon be another election that this divided nation must decide on whom will lead us the next four years…God be merciful! I am concerned that the wrong choice will be the death-blow to the country, already rapt in turmoil. Our children and theirs will not know much of the freedoms we have enjoyed in our lifetime, and eventually this nation will be completely absorbed into a world community. We must fight for right, but we also must know what is right. Know history, read and pray for God to help us as individuals to make right choices in electing our leaders, and in personal repentance for looking the other way for so long.

Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all.

Giving and Asking for Help

Posted on by S. Keith Barnes
When working with addicts/alcoholics, you should always remember the importance of help you are giving. For one, is it effective? Am I sugar coating so I don’t offend? or am I being too harsh, they’re beaten bad enough? For each success, there are failures. I have often felt as though it were my fault when someone I work with has a  relapse…and their death if they do not survive.
I really know better. Nonetheless, it still leaves you wondering. It is my responsibility to give them what I’ve been given. I am responsible to stick my hand out in fellowship, to instruct them to follow the steps to sobriety, to show them gratitude in action by serving wherever possible. I have known many who successfully complete the 12 steps, then relapse. None of us have a guaranteed sobriety.
Prayer, serving, and meetings are the glue that holds sobriey’s steps together. Those steps cannot be altered or ignored. You can either work the 12 steps, or your addiction will work you over, until you’re finished. Know this, it is up to the individual to accept do what is necessary to stay clean and sober.
When I came into the AA fellowship, I wanted to do my program. I soon realized that I needed to work the program the right way. I got a sponsor and began to work the program. The sponsor didn’t call me, he didn’t make sure I was doing ok, he didn’t shove me through the steps, no, that was my job. I asked him to sponsor me. It was my duty to call him, to ask his help working the steps, to ask for advice and help when I needed it. The same goes for help from God. If you ask Him for nothing, that’s what you get from Him. It is our responsibility to ask for help in life, from God, from parents or family members, from mentors, and pastors.
Silent pride is fear, fear of rejection.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?”  Matt.7:11 (NAS)
I am responsible for my prayers to God. I am to pray asking for help, for my needs, for direction, without thinking God is too busy for me. I’m responsible to know that, not thinking that He may feel really sorry for me and eventually get around to my request. Where is that “Bible verse, the Lord helps them who helps themselves?” It’s NOT IN THE BIBLE! I’m responsible for knowing that too. Twinkle, twinkle little star is not a prayer. A stitch in time saves nine is not in Proverbs. I’m reponsible to know these things.
When the pastor gives the sermon, it’s for the hearer to live the message. When the high school gives my diploma to me, it’s up to me to take that education and use it to make a living, or further my education. When the mentor gives the follower every bit of knowedge, it’s up to the follower to apply and develop that knowledge further. We must see our responsibility in everything. If we do not, the government will be glad to be responsible for you…at a high price, your soul. The government will fill your soul with their belief system…I mean unbelief system, that will teach you to rely on uncle Sam for help with addiction, child rearing, religious education, religious de-programming, medicine, etc, etc. Just ask China, N. Korea, or any socialist nation, they know government control.
Ok, I could really go with a thousand directions with this topic. I still struggle with responsibility. Today however, I understand the importance of being responsible, and passing that understanding to my children, or those I help in recovery. Give this some thought, see if you are responsible, and if you are, pass it forward.
Thanks for reading, God bless and keep you all. Keith