When I went to LDS.org this morning to get some ideas on what to study, this talk really stuck out:
“Keep the Commandments” by President Monson.
As I started reading, this quote is exactly what recovery and submitting my will to God’s is:
He who created us and who loves us perfectly knows just how we need to live our lives in order to obtain the greatest happiness possible.
The goal has to be to seek out what He wants me to do on a day to day basis to obtain that happiness that is mentioned. Frankly, it’s keeping the commandments.
He has provided us with guidelines which, if we follow them, will see us safely through this often treacherous mortal journey…
He understands that when we keep the commandments, our lives will be happier, more fulfilling, and less complicated.
One thing that has come to my mind, both in the temple and just now, is that I really need to find solutions to the fulfillment issues with SEO. I can no longer try to wing it on my own or do a half-crap job for ANY of my clients.
I don’t feel this is being honest in my dealings with my fellow man.
I don’t feel this is keeping the commandment regarding stealing either.
Today I’m meeting with my friend Andy to talk about a partnership where they can help me fulfill the bigger deal I have. I’m also going to reach out to John and have him help with the Local stuff for a few other projects I’m working on. I have to be willing to invest in these things and pay the price in order to feel good about what I’m doing for clients and where I’m helping them take their businesses.
It is imperative, therefore, for us to make choices throughout our lives that will lead us to this great goal [of returning to live with our Heavenly Father].
What are the plagues of our day? What are the things that keep me away from achieving this goal of eternal life with my Father in Heaven?
Disregard for the commandments has opened the way for what I consider to be the plagues of our day. They include the plague of permissiveness, the plague of pornography, the plague of drugs, the plague of immorality, and the plague of abortion, to name just a few. The scriptures tell us that the adversary is “the founder of all these things.”7 We know that he is “the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men.”8
How interesting that all these things: permissiveness, pornography, drugs, immorality – even abortion to an extent, are addictive in nature. They rob each of us of the right to choose – our agency – something that we have that Satan does not.
And the “blind men” to do things that we never thought we would do.
I appreciate this beckoning call:
With his deceptions and lies, the adversary will lead you down a slippery slope to your destruction if you allow him to do so. You will likely be on that slippery slope before you even realize that there is no way to stop…
The adversary knows us, and he knows the temptations which will be difficult for us to ignore. How vital it is that we exercise constant vigilance in order to avoid giving in to such lies and temptations…
May we realize that our greatest happiness in this life will come as we follow God’s commandments and obey His laws!
I don’t remember this quote but am glad I found it:
We cannot allow ourselves the slightest bit of leeway in dealing with sin. We cannot allow ourselves to believe that we can participate “just a little” in disobeying the commandments of God, for the sin can grab us with an iron hand from which it is excruciatingly painful to free ourselves. The addictions which can come from drugs, alcohol, pornography, and immorality are real and are nearly impossible to break without great struggle and much help.
This reminds me of what I wrote in my “Letter to the Addict:”
I think, in the past, I’ve convinced myself that “just a little visit” would be ok. But I’ve learned through study and prayer that that’s not the case at all. You’re “just a little bit” is Satan’s way of getting in and stirring things up. Your “just a little bit” has proven year after year to be a hole in my spiritual armor: once you’re in, there’s no telling where you’ll lead me.
Our relationship has only hurt me. I’ve wasted time, I’ve lost the trust of my wife and children, I’ve disappointed my parents, and most importantly, I’ve broken covenants I made with Becky and God. Repairing these mistakes has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and frankly, our “friendship” just isn’t worth it.
As I read through my Letter to the Addict, I noticed it talking about the ID, super ego, and ego. I did a bit more study about that as well and found this explanation:
According to [Sigmund Freud’s] model of the psyche, the id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends; the super-ego plays the critical and moralizing role; and the ego is the organized, realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego. The super-ego can stop one from doing certain things that one’s id may want to do.
I’m grateful for the help I have received from a therapist that explained these concepts to me and helped me understand how they apply to addiction recovery.
I’m grateful for my study today. I could continue to study indefinitely about recovery and healing, but I do have to work as well this morning and have meetings.
I look forward to a day in recovery.
I look forward to surrendering my will to God today.
I look forward to accomplishing the tasks that need to be accomplished today so that I can be “honest in my dealings with my fellow man.”
Hasta luego!
Nate
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