Excuses

Exodus 3:11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

Early in recovery we sometime fail to attain the progress we expect and ask ourselves similar questions to the one Moses asked of God. "Who am I to deserve recovery? Who am I to lead a life any different to the one I have led up till now?

Sometimes as it says in the 'Big Book' of alcoholics anonymous we look for easier, softer ways. We allow doubt to get the better of us. Our hearts and minds become lured by lesser objectives. We gradually fade in our devotion to recovery and begin to settle for less-than-the-best:

We start out in recovery fired up only to fizzle out because things don't go according to our plans. The promise of long term transformation becomes an unreachable goal. Change is still inviting, but unwillingness to apply new disciplines to our lives causes us to continue to miss the mark.

It is always sad to see prospective winners settle for a second-rate effort in their recovery walks. When only the best will do, let us not be content with less than first rate efforts - recovery is not something we can fool around with. It is life or death. We need to give all and give away half-heartedness. The only way any of us can achieve complete sobriety and serenity is by total commitment.

In the scripture listed above Moses made excuses because He felt inadequate for the job God asked him to do. By himself he was inadequate. But God wasn't asking Moses to work alone. Neither does He ask us to travel the road of recovery alone. He offers us resources, just as he did Moses for each Step along the way. We should not hide behind our own inadequacies, but look beyond ourselves to the greatest recovery resource available, God Himself! Then we can allow Him to transform us into the people He created us to be...