from A State of Grace
WISDOM
The time-honoured Serenity Prayer became a part of our daily repertoire for handling challenging and potentially dangerous situations: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. — SLAA Basic Text, Page 77
Growing up, my dad always told me I was very intelligent but had no street smarts. I thought, “If he only knew about my secret life.” But he was right. I had no experience handling challenging situations because I always ran from them into mind-numbing addiction. I had no knowledge because if I could use sex to escape the consequences of my mistakes, I did. Good judgment eluded me. The Twelve Steps and my spiritual experience changed that for me. I no longer had to rely on myself to make decisions. Prayer and meditation often showed me the correct path to take with challenges. I learned to avoid potentially dangerous situations and practice self-care instead. The difficult part is having the wisdom to know the difference between the things I can change and those I cannot. Hearing people’s stories in the room, being in contact with my feelings and listening for Higher Power’s will have all helped give me wisdom. We can’t battle this disease without it!
I will say the Serenity Prayer daily and hopefully grow in wisdom and strength.
From Answers in the Heart
Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
— One Day at a Time in Al-Anon
Nothing freezes us in our tracks like fear. How many times have we let fear stop us from doing what we really wanted to do? Maybe we wanted to look for a job, be honest with a friend, ask someone for a date, buy a house. But we couldn’t because we were afraid. The truth is, the moment our fear takes control, our self-will also takes control.
The first thing to do is to admit to ourselves that we’re afraid. The second is to find out why. Discovering why may mean calling a friend to talk, praying, taking an inventory of ourselves, going to a meeting. To feel the fear lift is to have ourselves back again. Then, when we know how we feel, we’ll know what to do.
Can I accept my Higher Power’s help and the help of others when I’m afraid? Emotional balance and serenity unclouded by fear are the gifts of recovery
Daily Meditation Books
Answers in the Heart - daily meditations for people recovering from sex addiction
Touchstones - daily meditations for recovering men A State of Grace - daily meditations by SLAA members