God's Part, Our part

"We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us
what we could not do for ourselves."

One of the most exciting feelings that I get is when I "suddenly" realize that change has happened in my life. Typically is goes completely unnoticed by me until a familiar trigger comes my way and I do not want to react the way that always used to.

At the 180Xchange recovery ministry that I am involved in we always talk about God's Part and our part. When we concentrate on doing our part and let God do His part, low and behold, things change!

It is when I do my part and His part that life seems to fall apart. I am reminded of the Carrie Underwood song, "Jesus Take the Wheel". I would have written it just little differently, "Jesus Take the Wheel and then make my hands disappear so that I can not try to take it back from You." I know, I know, it's a little wordy, but it could work.

So many of us think that humility is such a horrible thing, but what humility does is remind us that we should never, "Take the Wheel." I wonder just how much of that is what sums up "Our Part."

I hated change before I got sober. Now it is my daily goal. There is no stress involved in it. It is actually fun for me. Some things change slower than others. Some things have not changed at all. That is okay with me. I have to think that my life is like a big game of Jenga. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are slowly pulling out each bad block. It is slow and sometimes I sway back and forth when the bad block does not want to come out and one of Them has to tug a little bit. So, if something in my life is not changing or it is just not happening fast enough for me, then it is because if that block was pulled out too soon the entire structure could come crumbling down. Maybe it is like that, maybe it is not, but either way I am going to let Them worry about that. I am just going to keep working on my daily conscious contact with God (my part) and let Him to the rest.

Stay strong and stay sober from whatever it is that you deal with: drugs, alcohol, sex, food, spending, TV, codependency...don't kid yourself, we are all broken and we all need recovery from something. If your church doesn't have an all encompassing recovery program...start one!

Johnny