John Maxwell, said “If there is hope in the future there is power in the present”. It is necessary for me to have something before I can share it. I like to say “I want to be the best possible version of me so I can be of most value to others”. When we come into recovery we come in without much hope. Many of us have been on the losing side of life for some time. We are battered, bruised and beaten. As time goes on (providing we are participating in recovery) things begin to look differently. We slowly begin to view our life as one whereby others see a sense of hope and the power that is a result of it.
We now have a message of hope to share with others. Others need to see us as people of power and hope. If they don’t see this why would they want this life, we are promoting. Matter of fact, I would go so far as to say we have an obligation to share this message of hope with those who lack hope and encourage those who do. Those who lack hope will see us and think maybe; just maybe I might find hope. When we share our hope with someone who has found hope both their hope and ours is bound to grow.
How do we find hope in what might appear to be hopeless? As with every coin there is another side. It is my obligation to others and myself to always flip the coin to the other side and extract every bit of hope from something that appears hopeless.
- If we are clean and or sober today, we have hope and where there is hope there is power
- Is my life getting better even by a small margin?
- Are we finding new friends in meetings we attend?
- Do we identify with others who are like us?
- Have we begun to recognize what our Higher Power has done for us?
If we find the above is not happening in our lives can we look in the mirror and honestly say we are working the program of recovery. If the answer is yes, then keep working and it will occur. If the answer is no, then do not be surprised by the lack of results.
Always remember, just as those who came before had an obligation to us, we have an obligation to those who will come after us.
Let us all find hope in our life, day and our recovery then make an honest effort to share that message of hope with someone else.
Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
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