Prov 1:8-9 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. 9 They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.Did you follow your parents' advice? Did you conform to society's rules? Did you listen to sage advice from grandparents, aunts, uncles or other significant elders in your life? Were you a compliant child?
Chances are, if you're anything like me, the answer to all of those questions is a resounding "no."
One of the reasons we're traveling this road together is that either we had little or no wise instruction from elders or we chose to plug our ears when the told us what to do.
The saving grace for me was desire. Although I was a rebel, deep down inside I always had a yearning for spiritual knowledge which ultimately drove me to seek help when addiction nailed me to the wall.
So what about now - do you still rebel against authority? Change is never easy. Although I was pretty beat up and willing to go to any lengths to get better, many times I heard myself thinking, "this I will not do." In the end, I could have saved myself a whole lot of grief because my way just didn't work. I may have stayed clean and sober, but there were plenty of white-knuckle moments due my pride telling me I could handle it, I was different.
Save yourself the trouble. You are not different. Say it with me, "I am not different. I can't do this on my own."
When my sponsor told me "no relationships" in the first year of sobriety, that included dating idiots. I didn't listen. I dated a number of mentally unstable men, telling myself they were safe because they were also on the road to recovery. This foolishness compromised my safety and sobriety. Before I'd been sober a year I was engaged to a psychopath. I praise God I didn't marry him after all.
Listen to your sponsor. If you have healthy, "normal" parents, listen to them. If you have a sibling or other relative who has it all together, watch them, talk to them, learn from them. Don't be afraid to learn from someone younger than you. I have a sister who's twelve years older than I that I prayed for and talked to for many years about recovery. She nearly died from alcohol poisoning before finally getting sober three years ago. Your bottom doesn't have to be that deep.
Seek wise counsel. Go to meetings. Journal your recovery. Praise God and pray. Live long and enjoy the journey.
Dear Lord, thank You for Solomon's wisdom. Forgive us for doing things our own way and finding ourselves in the messes we get into. Grant us the wisdom to accept the wisdom of others. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
