I was in a meeting listening to a woman tell her story about recovery from her extreme addiction. It had taken her from a fairly normal life with kids, to losing everything, including her kids, and then to living on the streets. She was telling of the facts that were happening this week because of her sobriety, recovery and dependence on God— instead of her dependence on her drug of choice.
She talked about her feelings and how they had dominated her decision-making when she was using and how that had led her to some pretty bad choices. Now, her focus was on the facts as they were—acceptance, rather than denial—and not focusing on the feelings she had about the facts that were happening. There is something in between acceptance and denial—the pause.
Feelings pass. Facts remain.
I lose sight of this. It really depends on what I focus on in any given time period that determines my attitude for the day.
Drinking used to be my solution when I could not deal with the facts and I had added my emotional overload to it—death, conflict, a broken shoelace—easier to drink and just check out. Now, in sobriety, I have learned to pray for wisdom, wait until the feelings pass, then make the best decision I know how to make in response to the facts before me.
God designed both—feelings and facts. The interpretation of the feelings toward to facts takes help. Our choices become clearer in life when we realize that we are not doing this alone—we have others to support us and we can surrender to God when we are overwhelmed with the emotions in response to the facts.
I choose to live somewhere in that sober pause, where God can enter and give me peace.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
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