I was reminded today by something someone said that told me they were beginning to lose hope. And, when hope is gone, so is faith and maybe sobriety.
Hope to me is so important. It was hope that got me through those early days in sobriety. Hope that I would never have to drink again. Hope that this program and the people in it could show me the way to sobriety. Hope that was fulfilled daily. A far cry from the despair I found myself in, when alcohol failed me.
Whenever life hands me problems, I have to go back to what gave me hope to begin with. This program and my sobriety. It’s the foundation of my hope. I pray I never forget that.
Because it was this hope that helped me to grow in faith.
I learned that in order to establish hope and to continue to do so, I had to hang in. I had to learn perseverance. Not to give up no matter what wanted to drag me back down. Not to be tempted to go back out and take a drink. To depend on the concept of a day at a time.
I was told by my sponsor that all I had to do was what was in front of me today. If I would do just that, I could stay sober for this day. And that gave me a lot of hope.
Just to be able to remember and reflect on my primary purpose. To stay sober and to try to help another alcoholic. That’s where I need to be, when I find things beginning to get a little shaky. Not to let the troubles on the outside to take me away from what is so important to me and my life. Not always easy, but just to, not only reflect on this, but to talk it over with someone with solid foundations in this program.
I have this hope that I never lose hope. Everyday I wake up to renew that hope early on. Like I said, from this hope comes the faith I have today. Hope from the evidence I see in this program grows into faith. A solid belief based on what I see. Alcoholics recovering from this disease. Alcoholics with years of sobriety, living a good, happy life. Alcoholics like myself.
Anyway, I had to stop and think about hope today. When I start to lose hope, there is a solution. Go back to the beginning and remind myself of that hope and renew it within myself.