Lately, especially from the last few days, the topics that our JFT book has provoked me to meditate on has been very nourishing and insightful. Two topics that contributed a lot to my wellbeing has been the one on regularly checking out my service motives and actions that led to a very selfless and grateful experience at a service meeting a couple of days back...
The other one was the importance of sharing my experiences, strength and hope if I can relate with what someone shares, about how the real therapeutic effect takes place in doing this... I'm grateful to my first Sponsor for reemphasizing to me and instilling in me the spiritual principle of sharing and caring, due to which I was able to let go of wanting to fix the other by giving advice or expressing my opinion of the situation, and instead, ask myself if I could relate with what the other has shared (meaning "do I have a similar experience to be able to share anything at all with the other?") and then share what were my experiences on the same issue and which part of the program helped me most to deal with such a situation if any... I still try my best to practise this, and doing so over a period of time led me to actually realize that this is how the program worked from one addict to another as whenever I tried to advice or opinionate or come out with a list of do's and dont's, or quote the gospel truth (lol), the power of the program was missing... Similarly, I also gained a lot only when others shared how they dealt with a similar experience with the help of the program...
Most importantly, I'm grateful that I don't have to have an answer to all questions and problems. Many a times, I have been quick to say to newcomers and sponsees "I Don't Know" when I can't relate, when I haven't been through what they might be going through. And I'm grateful for the wisdom that sometimes the best way I can help another in NA is to LISTEN and keep my mouth shut
Even though, I'm not a kinda guy who is a toughie, I like what some toughies say in NA... "Share your experience, strength and hope; not your opinion, bullshit and dope"
I continue to gain and benefit from our JFT book, and I'm sure MORE WILL BE REVEALED
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"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting."Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
Thank you too BigV for sharing what wonders beginning the day with reading and meditating on the JFT topic of the day can do for our recovery. Indeed there's no doubt that much more is revealed everytime I begin the day with prayer and JFT reading.
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"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting."Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
