Post by THE SECOND PROMISE on Mar 1, 2004 3:32:57 GMT -5
The second promise tells us, We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. This assures us freedom from guilt over what we did, what we lost, who we hurt, and what might have been. We can remember the past to benefit from mistakes without dwelling on it.
By benefiting from past misdeeds, we reduce the chance of repeating them. Absence of regrets makes life possible in the now. When we confront the past horrors, we emphasize the lesson that "pain is the price of maturity." In sobriety, we would surely be distraught if the deep hurt we suffered while drinking had all been in vain.
Using the past as a tool for growth, we protect ourselves against slips by avoiding complacency and carelessness. We need not be ashamed of our past, because we know we can bring our character defects into the open, admit them, and get help to rid ourselves of them.
When we compare the real joys of sobriety with the fancied pleasure of intoxication we can be grateful.
========================================
My past can't be changed, but as it says, it an be learned from, but more importantly it is something that I can utilize to help someone else. I can't change it, it happened, but I can grow as a result of it, and can carry a message to those who come behind me.
I am not proud of what I have done or where I have been, but I know that I am forgiven and don't have to continue paying the price for the rest of my life. God forgives me, and I had to learn to forgive myself. Who I was in active addiction, isn't who I am. I only found myself as a result of working the Twelve Steps. The promises start to come true in part as we stay sober, but don't wholely material until we have done the first nine Steps.
By benefiting from past misdeeds, we reduce the chance of repeating them. Absence of regrets makes life possible in the now. When we confront the past horrors, we emphasize the lesson that "pain is the price of maturity." In sobriety, we would surely be distraught if the deep hurt we suffered while drinking had all been in vain.
Using the past as a tool for growth, we protect ourselves against slips by avoiding complacency and carelessness. We need not be ashamed of our past, because we know we can bring our character defects into the open, admit them, and get help to rid ourselves of them.
When we compare the real joys of sobriety with the fancied pleasure of intoxication we can be grateful.
========================================
My past can't be changed, but as it says, it an be learned from, but more importantly it is something that I can utilize to help someone else. I can't change it, it happened, but I can grow as a result of it, and can carry a message to those who come behind me.
I am not proud of what I have done or where I have been, but I know that I am forgiven and don't have to continue paying the price for the rest of my life. God forgives me, and I had to learn to forgive myself. Who I was in active addiction, isn't who I am. I only found myself as a result of working the Twelve Steps. The promises start to come true in part as we stay sober, but don't wholely material until we have done the first nine Steps.
. I will be back looking for Lin and others.