Reflections..................................................on the Road to Recovery
(4)- Surrender
I was talking to a friend in the program today who was having a hard time accepting help from someone. He said, " You know, this is like surrender and with my military background, this doesn't feel very good......."
Many of his friends, including me, suggested to him that accepting this offer of help was sane and clearly the right thing to do. Even with all of this support, he was stuckkkkk......
I spoke with him for a long time, then shared this thought: "You know, the type of surrender we are talking about here is a good form of surrender. It's surrendering your old thinking, your old beliefs, your old way of doing things, and moving in a positive direction toward more sane and positive thinking and action.
He thought about this for a minute and said, "I never could or would have viewed this situation in that way. Thanks, I'm going to accept the help". I finished by saying, "God has many ways to send his messages when we most need them."
I'm really happy for my friend. He is building a strong program of recovery.
I can really identify with your friend's sentiment. Surrendering to God was one thing--I mean it's God. But, to ask another man for help was and still is pretty difficult for me. Most men, at least the ones I grew up around were taught not to show weakness--men don't cry and they take care of their own problems/troubles --men always have to display strength!! Once I realized that I needed to show some humility, asking for help became much easier and I began to pray for the strength to be humble. Still, this is not an easy task for me.
ReplyDelete