Author Archives: ccburn

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 10th by Chris B

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Maranatha

Maranatha is an Aramaic word meaning ‘Come, Lord’ and is thus often used by Christians in the time of Advent – the four weeks leading up to Christmas. It is a way of expressing profound belief in God, primarily a Christian God but can equally be used when referring to any Higher Power. Advent for Christians is not just about waiting for Christmas Day and the birth of Christ, it is about making our spiritual selves ready for the event, so that we welcome God into our hearts. We should evaluate our attitudes and beliefs and work to remove selfishness and self-obsession. It is all part of the familiar task of ego-management that we need to perform routinely in our lives, if we are to achieve spiritual growth. How selfish am I and what will I do about it?

I was no longer the centre of my life and therefore I could see God in everything. (Venerable Bede). Humility and prayer are a good start to checking my spiritual wellbeing. In the past, I was forced to make myself the most important thing in my life, because my addiction made this necessary. How else would I get what I wanted? Now, if I have learned anything, it is that there are other things that are more important. My will and my ways have got me into trouble, and I have to find a better way – God’s way.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 9th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Humour


The blessed Gods have fun every day. (Homer). The ancient Greeks were relaxed enough to view their universe as a place where the Gods could sometimes behave like humans, although still having immense supernatural powers. Our world today is a lot more troubled and stressful, but we have no more precise knowledge of the nature of God than the Greeks had. When we speak about God and Higher Power, we can only use our own language to describe what is essentially un-describable. We say that God is loving, or God is just, because these are the only words we have. We trust and believe that our Higher Power works in ways that we can understand, including love, kindness, justice and humour.

Does my Higher Power have a sense of humour? I certainly hope so. I sometimes laugh benevolently when I see a child struggling to do an adult task, like tidying a room. I hope that my Higher Power does the same, on seeing some of my attempts to create order out of chaos. Teaching a child is a process of growth through small steps. It is also a process that involves patience, kindness and a sense of humour. That is my process in recovery. I believe that my Higher Power will guide me in a way that a parent would recognise

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly


Powerlessness and unmanageability


The wonderful film star Judy Garland died alone in a London hotel of a barbiturates overdose, aged just forty-seven – thirty years after she appeared as little Dorothy in the film The Wizard of Oz. The day she died, they say there was a tornado in Kansas. There’s probably a tornado every day in Kansas somewhere, just as there’s always someone in the world dying from a drugs overdose. Many lives are less well-publicised as hers but equally tragic. Anyone who plays with alcohol or drugs is taking a huge risk. Crucially, if they find themselves losing control, they must address the problem honestly. Those of us in recovery must be ready to reach out to help anyone who may be struggling, at any stage in the progress of their addiction. We do not judge others, but we can show ourselves by our example. Do I recognise I have a responsibility to share my recovery by reaching out to others?

Desperate people do desperate things, but I have a responsibility to help my fellow humans before they become that desperate, if I possibly can. There is progression in every illness and addiction is no different. Its roots may lie in others or partly in us and the way we feel about ourselves. Today I pray that, through showing my self-respect, I may be able to help those in distress before they become desperate.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 7th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably

Step Twelve

Practising the Twelve Step principles in all our affairs makes us an example to others. When we share our experience, strength and hope we really do give something of ourselves that enhances the recovery of other people – making them in part, more experienced, stronger and more hopeful. When I realise that the awful past behaviour that I still carry in my heart, does actually help someone else to recover, then we are both benefiting from a negative event. Am I ready for Step Twelve – to carry the message to addicted people who are still suffering?

God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and for countless others. (Bill W). Today I ask that my own house be in order, so I can be an example to others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 6th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment

Perception


Robert Burns, the Scottish Bard, wrote the tender poem about parting: Ae Fond Kiss, to Agnes (Nancy) Maclehose, a beautiful Edinburgh lady with whom he had an intense, though unconsummated relationship. They were forced to part on this day, following his marriage to Jean Armour in 1791. For the next 45 years Nancy wrote in her journal This day I can never forget, parted with Robert in 1791. Oh, may we meet in heaven. Burns seems to have coped with the parting rather more easily, having fathered a child with her serving maid. The story illustrates how two people can view one event in entirely different ways. Do I understand that the manner in which I perceive a situation is not necessarily the way that others perceive the same event?


I must not assume that things are always the way I see them. Making assumptions leads to judging others and to black and white thinking, where people either agree with me, or they are wrong. I must learn to keep an open mind and respect the point of view of other people. This sometimes requires humility but, as I work on my character defects, I come to see how important is to manage my ego properly. Today I will continue to work on ego management.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 5th by Chris B

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Secrets

Secrets keep us sick. Shame prevents us sharing some of our darkest secrets, yet these are a part of who we are. I see my relationship with my Higher Power as a partnership, albeit an unequal one. I believe that this power works through other people, but how can I have a true partnership when I am withholding secrets? Secrets are part of the wall I constructed to keep people out – the wall that isolated me from human contact. As long as I have secrets, I have shame, and with shame comes low self-esteem and fear. It is no good trying to bury my secrets in the past and hoping they will just fade away. The past has happened, but it is still there in memories, to be visited as we wish. Have I dealt with the secrets of my past?


Secrets, and the shame that surrounds them, can hold me back in recovery because my instincts will tell me: don’t talk, don’t feel, don’t trust. Yet the Twelve Step fellowships are full of people who are able to listen and relate to my pain, because they have been though similar experiences. ‘Trust and Share’ is a well-known slogan that refers directly back to the Serenity Prayer. Today I ask for the courage to change the things I can, so that I release

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations


Zen


Zen is a form of being and a type of meditation. It has been described as experiencing the ultimate reality while remaining grounded in ordinary everyday existence. Zen teaches that wisdom is to be found in the ordinary – that is, in oneself, in other people and in nature. It appeals to many people, including those in recovery from addiction because it emphasises simplicity and peace of mind. All forms of meditation and mindfulness seem to appear more and more attractive as the stress and apparent chaos of everyday life increases remorselessly, year by year. Making time each day for peace and meditation is an excellent habit to adopt. Am I remembering the need for self-care that comes through daily meditation?

Meditation can be as simple as finding a quiet place to sit and become aware of my surroundings while I empty my mind of everyday concerns.
It was with awe
That I beheld
Fresh leaves, green leaves
Bright in the sun (Basho)
Today I give thanks for the peace of mind that comes through meditation of all kinds.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 3rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax each muscle from neck to toe


Yes to change

There was a time in our addicted lives when change seemed terrifying. Many of us hid from it in comfort zones that may not have made us happy but at least were places where we could somehow function, provided we could continue our addiction. Stepping out of this zone seemed just too much of a challenge, because people would judge us and expect us to be different. Self-esteem in recovery has given us positivity, so that now we welcome change as an exciting new challenge. Life is no longer threatening but a time of growth where we look each day for the opportunity to try new things that will help us progress. Do I now welcome challenges as opportunities for self-improvement?

Willingness to change applies to myself. A lot of addicted people think that other things need to change. But the world will not change to suit me. The important thing is my attitude. It may be a little alarming to introduce oneself to a stranger, or volunteer to speak at a meeting, but if I fail take a risk, I will never know what I missed. There are few second chances in life, and we should make the very most of what we have been given – our recovery. Today I ask to respond to every opportunity or challenge that comes.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 2nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly


Self-knowledge


What is Man? That is one of the deep questions. Is he (or she) condemned to be free, as the existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre thought, or born free and is everywhere in chains, as fellow Frenchman Jean-Jacques Rousseau said? Addiction certainly feels like bondage and punishment, but we are free to start a new life if we choose, by following the Twelve Step programme. Perhaps we can say that Man is what he chooses to be. Do I understand that no matter what happens to me in my life, I have a choice as to how I respond?

In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, psychiatrist Viktor Frankel recounted his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War Two. His message is that man always retains that final choice, which cannot be removed – the choice of attitude towards the circumstances presented to him, no matter how dire or restrictive those circumstances may be. Over the centuries, thousands of ordinary people have borne witness to this truth even though it may have cost them their lives. I am grateful for their sacrifice which gives me courage to hold on to my beliefs.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days December 1st by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably
Step Twelve
Step Twelve is about service and carrying the message.
This demonstrates the paradox at the heart of the
Twelve Steps – that you must give recovery away in
order to keep it. But doing so would be difficult if
one did not have gratitude. Genuine gratitude only
comes when we feel that something good has
happened. And like enthusiasm, when others see it,
they are inspired. The power of example is there
once again. An attitude of gratitude helps to keep
me being a giver instead of a taker. Do I have an
attitude of true gratitude today?
One major point about the Twelve Steps is that they
are all about taking personal responsibility for our
lives. We have to throw out the negativity that
enveloped us – the anger, blaming, victimhood,
selfishness and low self-esteem and replace it with
positive attitudes and actions. Gratitude,
determination, helping others, forgiveness and so on,
are much more comfortable to live with and so much
more inspiring for others to see. Today I ask to do
my best in everything that I attempt because that is
part of my mission in life.