April 3

"Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped.” Jack W. Hayford

I am sure the author of the quote didn't intend for this, but I see a clear double meaning behind the quote. I know it's meant to refer to what happens when one appropriately worships God or a Higher Power that is loving, kind and forgiving. But as a recovering addict, I see the counterpoint that worshiping my addiction had a similar effect. Giving my attention to that false idol took me down roads to become more and more like it, assuming the false beliefs and deviant compulsive and obsessive behaviours like a familiar set of clothes. Yet there is hope in this message. The steps are a path to lead me back towards a healthy and strong relationship with a better idol, a true Higher Power that promises to restore me to sanity. In giving myself over to His Will, my image in turn becomes more like what I am putting my faith in. I become a vessel of love, compassion, and forgiveness. Recovery is restoring my right to choose, the power to decide which god or God that I will worship. My growing awareness of who I am, my faults and my strengths, is leading me towards the path of life I believe I was meant to have. And certainly the restoral of sanity and serenity that I have already experienced makes my Higher Power worthy of my praise and worship.

Affirmation

I will give thanks for my recovery today, for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, for a Higher Power who cares and loves me in spite of my past.