Points of View and Perspective

This column is written by staff, alumni, or anyone who wishes to contribute. It is an individual's unique experience and perspective about recovery, but does not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of New Life Spirit Recovery. We welcome your articles. Please e-mail to nlsrnewsletter@gmail.com.

JUST DO IT!
By Robert Beaupre, M.Min, CDAAC

Nike made maybe billions of dollars just by confronting us with a simple proposition. “just do it!”. They made it sound simple - with an easy action, it would be done. We loved it for some reason! All that complicated stuff we normally go through to make a decision could be bypassed somehow by “just doing it”.

Often, as we go through all that complicated stuff, we tire, get diverted by emotions or end up with one of the other eighteen or so major thoughts that cross our brain every second. The very thing we wanted to do just gets lost in our humanness.

Huge marketing campaigns and expensive planning methods are available in designer colors, to try to get us to “Just do it”. Corporations have extensive position flow charts showing exactly the order of who is making sure who is “just doing it”.

In group I draw a diagram called “Don’t be an action dumbbell”. The left sphere is full of all the bad things in life, the right filled with all the good. That little bar between the two represents the relatively little amount of action it takes to lift ourselves from a bad life to a good one.

In my “power years”, I prided myself on the saying that “I could do ten things wrong before most people could do one thing right.” The inference meant that a whole lot would be learned from the ten mistakes, more maybe than from the one correct action. (Do not try this at home, it has its problems.)

It certainly seems to be that we need some planning before we take some actions. However, if we lack a plan, that should not keep us from some decisions and action. Sometimes just a rough perimeter plan is enough. Does it fit? Is it consistent? What would Jesus do?

God told us many times about the importance of planning, and how he would help a good plan. He knew it would be important in our lives. For example:

Pro 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan good have joy.
And told us those without a plan and action, would suffer ramifications:

Pro 12:24 The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

He also says our vessel should be filled:

Phl 1:11 filled with the truth of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and praise of God.

The things necessary to grow our faith are the simple little day to day actions that Nike called us to do.

It seems that most decisions are made in about one hundrethth of a second. But the things that happen because of that incredibly small period of time, are disproportionally huge. It is a time that we may prepare for all of our lives, and one that may affect the entire rest of our life.

How can we handle such a task? Here is the key. That is the time our Spirit needs to be prepared, and our body must be willing. We could be wrestling with simple things: going to a meeting, a church service, helping someone, giving up that seat on the bus, picking up that trash, giving someone a ride, start that class. Those little things are what get us to the big things. Small, medium and large tasks are both the “steps up” and the “steps down”.

I wonder why it is that when we do something right, it feels good, right down into our souls. When we skip something, we just have a blank feeling, and when we do something wrong, we have a bad feeling.

These milli-seconds are things we need to be prepared for, prayed up for and on the lookout for. A hunger should exist for the chance. We must feel the Spirit coaxing us, and - JUST DO IT!

Robert Beaupre is the facility manager, teacher and counselor at New Life Spirit Recovery

STEPS IN THE SNOW
Contributed by Jeff Turner

Have you ever seen a snowflake glisten in the sun as it wafted gently to the ground? It is such a beautiful sight to see so many of them accumulate on the mountainside, especially if you like to ski or snowboard. Each snowflake is totally unique and the crystalline structure of a snowflake is glorious to behold. So, snow is unique, beautiful, and can be a lot of fun, just like recovery. Each person is beautiful and unique in God's eyes, and He desires to make us pure just like beautiful snowflakes.

Taking steps in the snow can be very difficult and sometimes requires a little help. So it is with learning how to ski or snowboard, the more you listen and apply what you learn, the better you get at it, and it can be really fun and rewarding. Taking steps in recovery is easier than taking steps in the snow. I have learned that you usually don't become an expert at something overnight, and that anything worth working for, is also worth listening to someone who is good at it for advice.

Any step in the direction of finding the true purpose of life is beautiful, just like snow covered mountains. God made all of this for us to enjoy; and we are all in recovery for something whether it be drugs, gambling, or shopping addiction. Taking steps in the snow can be hard work, but you usually don't think about it on the fun and scenic ride down the mountainside, plus the view at the top is always worth it. The same goes for recovery, taking steps can be a bit of work, but the view that you'll have after you've done a few steps is really amazing, and it just gets better and better with God's help.

Jeff Turner is a detox technician at Armorr House Recovery

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