July 15: Giving Where You Used to Grab
Look back at the drinking years. How much of your life was about getting? Getting the next drink, getting your way, getting out of trouble, getting what you thought you were owed?
“I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Paul quotes Jesus here with a line that isn’t found anywhere in the Gospels. It’s more blessed to give than to receive. Paul says he showed it by working with his own hands to help those who were weak.
Selfishness sits close to the root of a lot of drinking. Not always in obvious ways. Sometimes it looked like taking money. Sometimes it looked like taking time, attention, patience or trust, and never giving any back. The bottle made everything about you.
Step Seven asks God to remove that. And the practice that goes with it is giving. Not huge gestures. Small, steady giving that slowly changes what you pay attention to.
Give time. Stay after the meeting to stack chairs. Sit with someone who’s having a hard day. Give attention. Put the phone down when your spouse or your kid is talking. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Give help. Mow a neighbor’s lawn. Drive someone to a meeting. Give money if you can, even a little, to your church or to someone in need.
None of this earns you anything. That’s not the point. The point is that giving rewires you. Every time you give, you practice living as if other people matter as much as you do. That’s the opposite of the drinking life.
There’s something else. Giving often helps you stay sober. When you’re focused on helping someone else, you’re not focused on your own craving or worry. Many people in recovery say service is one of the best tools they have.
Paul says it’s more blessed to give. Try it today and see if he’s right.
One thing today
Do one thing for someone today that they didn’t ask for and can’t pay you back for. Don’t tell anyone about it.
A prayer
Lord Jesus, You gave everything. I’ve spent years grabbing. Take away my selfishness and teach me to give. Show me one person I can help today. Amen.
If you’re just starting out, the Start Here page explains how the steps fit together.
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