...To my Pity Party.
Bet you can't wait.
I promise to have lots of misery, whining, wailing, complaining, hopelessness, suffering, and most of all, feeling sorry for myself. Never mind what you're going through. This is my party and I'll cry if I want to.
BYOB because we're going to need lots of Boxes of Kleenex at this shindig.
Psalm 119:92, 93
If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. I will never forget your commandments, for by them you give me life.
If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. I will never forget your commandments, for by them you give me life.
By now you've gone through all the steps and have been skipping along in recovery with just a few hiccups (we hope - if you've been honest and sincere in working your steps, I am certain of good results.) If things have been rough or you've slipped, this would be a good time to go back to step one and see what you've missed at this point.
After awhile, if we're not careful, we can become complacent. Now unless you're Jesus Christ or the very first human ever to live life without temptation or difficulty, you're going to find yourself in some tough spots. These are times when I don't want to call for help. I don't want anyone to fix me. I just want to rut around alone in my own stuff and feel the warmth of the muck I'm wallowing in. The problem is, I can do this for a little while but eventually I miss you.
The fact is, we are human, and human beings are dependent on one another. Don't even try to tell me you don't need others. If that were true, you wouldn't be reading this. Ha, gotcha!
Because we need other people, even when we're at our worst we want someone to share it. Hence that age old expression, misery loves company. And misery will seek out anyone who will come alongside and listen. Don't think homeless people wander around out there friendless and lonely. Believe me even they have friends. They commiserate with one another. They depend on one another for survival.
People denied the company of others will sooner or later go stark raving mad.
So even when I'm at my worst, I want to share it. It's a natural inclination to seek out those who like to stay in the problem. For heaven's sake, if I call my sponsor she's going to give me some kind of sage advice for how to get out of this hole. Heaven forbid! If I call someone I know is grounded in Scripture, they're going to give me some Biblical principle for getting out of the dark. Well for Pete's sake, who said I wanted to see the light? No, I think I'll either keep it to myself and suffer silently a while longer, or I'm going to call someone who will join my pit party.
Isn't it interesting that the root word of pity is pit?
We've all seen or heard the person who comes to meeting after meeting sharing their problems and never the solutions. Those are people we want to avoid like the plague. When I don't feel like calling my sponsor, that's exactly when I need to call my sponsor. If not my sponsor, my pastor, or a good Christian friend whom I know will tell me the truth. I need to seek solutions, not drag others into my pit.
So now, here I sit with all my misery waiting for the doorbell to ring and no one comes. No one wants to come to my pity party. Gee, I think I'll call my sponsor. Maybe I can get into the solution - go to a meeting, journal some, go for coffee with a friend, write a gratitude list, call someone else who's going through a tough time and offer some encouragement...
For every pity party going on, there are lots of better places to be.
Are you having a rough day? Who will you call for help out of the pit?
Psalm 119:92, 93
If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. I will never forget your commandments, for by them you give me life.
Lord, take my hand, pull me up and out of this mire and turn me in the right direction. Your word is a lamp unto my feet, every instruction wipes away foolishness, temptation, every evil desire, instilling instead new hope and delight. I seek life in Your wisdom, joy in Your hope, faith in Your promises. Your commandments give me life. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.
