Before you call Mama Assa’s number on this little poster above, just know that I saw this sign hanging on a telephone pole in Zambia, Africa.
I know you were tempted. I mean, come on, she promises to solve problems with same day results.—who wouldn’t want to call her?
When I first got sober, I was amazed at how the tools to live sober and stay sober worked! Working the 12 steps was hard work, but worth it. I learned new behaviors to replace my old solution (drinking) to every problem. It wasn’t a same-day fix. I had to keep showing up one day at a time.
I also learned over time, when I was finally present in my mind and thinking rational thoughts, that there was a lot of stuff I wanted to fix—in me, AND in you!!
The steps were my solution for me. Prayer became my solution for dealing with you. I began praying for me to know how to deal with the people in my life over whom I had no control. The problem with praying was that I wanted same day results to the problems, like Mama Assa promises in the poster—ha ha. When I prayed for patience, I got more challenging situations for which to have patience. Be careful what you pray for.
I heard in a meeting “Don’t pray for things to be all right, pray for you to be all right with things.” Well, that shifted by prayers. That sounds like acceptance to me. Well, I found out that prayer may or may not have same-day-results, according to God’s perfect Will. I am not guaranteed anything.
In Step 11, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
I learned to pray that His Will, not mine be done.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
This verse in 2 Corinthians is one of my favorites. I didn’t understand it at first. But, now, I understand that the key to this verse is TRUST. How is God’s power made perfect in my weakness?
I have to admit that I need help first. I need God to help me and I cannot do this alone.
That is when HIS power is manifested within us. God designed it such that we needed to depend on Him to live this life how we were meant to live.
Otherwise, my life is just a free-form mess of my own decision-making—and will be totally without purpose. In my humble opinion.
I won’t be calling Mama Assa soon. I hope you won’t either. The answers to our problems won’t be found here on this earth. Until we surrender our will and lives to God, we will just be floundering.
Pray.
Trust.
Wait.
It’s worth it.
What have you got to lose?
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