An Invitation to Share

An Open Invitation:

When this idea first came to me I was excited.  Confession:  I was excited in an arrogant way.  After being in the program of AA for some time, I had become a little less than thrilled with people outside of the program.  This may be hard to understand.

We get sober in the first place because people can no longer tolerate us and we have always drank because we can not tolerate them.  We didn't know how to live life on life's terms.  And so we work the steps and we get healthier and then sometimes we look at the normies we thought we'd be able to tolerate and find them still intolerable.  But we've learned acceptance and we're reminded not to work other people's programs. Still...

We may find that they're as sick as we are/were but in a different way.  A less obnoxious way, perhaps. A quieter way.  A way that doesn't ruin their lives or the lives of others.   But...

 the addiction personality is still within them in one shape, form, way or another.

And then talking to my husband who swears he finds God easier in the rooms than he does in church, I got to thinking.  The holiness factor may be missing in the rooms but the humility factor is often times missing in church.  So what does this mean?  That we all need to get closer to God.  Why the steps?  Because they're biblical and because they're as my husband puts it, 'God for Dummies'.

And so, honestly, I kind of came here with a secret message I wanted to 'teach'.  But God, quickly showed me how much I needed to learn.  And he wasn't about to let me get on any high horse.

And I started blogging about this journey - a lot.  Probably more than I'll be able to in the near future as school is starting for the kids.  And I got nervous about it and experienced a lot of self-doubting.  But God gave me the confirmation I needed through a friend of mine who is not in the program but whose brother is.  And randomly, she said to me, I think everybody needs to work their steps.  I said, "Funny, you should mention that.  I just started a little blog."

So, yes, I'm excited about this.  But more is being revealed.

The program works because it is a fellowship.  A pack.  There is accountability.  There are no doctors, only patients but there are friends.  And meetings and groups.

The Bible says, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" - Matthew 18:20.

So, I want to invite you to share... only if you want. But I want to do this blog differently. If anyone, follower or not, has anything to say at all about the subject of sobriety from self, I want them to feel welcome to do so here.  There are no rules.  It's not a blog hop.  You can leave your name or do it anonymously.  It doesn't matter where you are currently with God.  Just type up what's on your heart, send it to me at nicolewian@msn.com and I'll publish it, here.  And if that doesn't appeal to you, feel free to just keep coming back because... it works if you work it.