from Touchstones
If the only prayer you say in your whole life is “thank you,” that would suffice. — Meister Eckhart
“An attitude of gratitude,” we sometimes hear, will help us on our path. There certainly are enough things for us to worry about, grieve over, and complain about. They have their place. But as we mature and no longer use addictive escapes, we learn that joy can exist side by side with grief. Gratitude is a tonic for our self-pity. Saying “thank you” actually opens us to receive more of life’s blessings, which sit there waiting for us to notice.
In a pleasant moment we can look around and say, “Aren’t we lucky!” That’s a kind of prayer, and it connects us with our Higher Power. No matter how painful or worrisome a day may be, we can be thankful for our growth. Gratitude is so simple we sometimes dismiss it while looking for a more complicated answer in our lives. We can say “thank you” for all the simple things, like trees, cool air, food to eat, and love between people. It is a risk to be so grateful. Who will be in control? Perhaps God.
God, thank you for all that comes to me without my efforts.
From Answers in the Heart
I believe that a sign of maturity is accepting deferred gratification. — Peggy Cahn
One of our problems as active sex addicts was our inability to put off our own gratification. We lived in the world of the Pleasure Ego where we imagined everything was at our beck and call. Closed off from reality by our egoism, we thought we had to satisfy our desires “right now” regardless of the consequences.
Reality includes other people, and they may not wish to participate in our pleasure or respond to our demands. They have their own lives to live and their own freedom of choice. For some of us, this brought on angry tantrums where we lashed out verbally or even with violence. We were so used to having our own way that opposition quite literally maddened us.
We’re learning in recovery that the world was not created just for us. Its particularity and beauty is to be enjoyed — but not just by us, not necessarily at this very second. We now can wait, be patient, and respect the desires of others, while enjoying the unfolding of our Higher Power’s design for us.
I know I am still often selfish and impatient, but I am learning to cherish mutuality in the world and respect other people’s freedom.
Daily Meditation Books
Answers in the Heart - daily meditations for people recovering from sex addiction
Touchstones - daily meditations for recovering men
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