persons have visited this site since May 10, 2002
~ 2003 Form ~
"Patience is taking time for things to move into place without force or breakage."
N.A. Foundation
Group - Marietta - May 2000
Moreland, Georgia Edit October 2001
N.A. Foundation Group of Smyrna - January 2003
We didn't get clean overnight and our Fellowship did not start growing overnight. Patience as a spiritual principle may also be called creative waiting. Life will force us into positions where the only good thing we can do is wait. This may not happen often however when it does, we should know that sometimes watchful waiting has to be enough.
Accepting the waiting, asking God to ready us for the time of action, spending out time well, these are all benefits of spiritual patience. We can all recall the many times we acted through sheer force of will, ignoring warnings from those we had some reason to trust. We use the maxim, "When in doubt, don't." Almost by definition, the person who fails to consider their resources acts without benefit of prayer and throws caution to the winds is setting the stage for disaster. It is not spiritual to commit to action without considering your resources and the depth of the need for what you're about to do.
By utilizing patience, we automatically reduce the pressure we place on ourselves to act, ready or not. We gain time to check our assumptions about a situation; time to hear from our sponsor and fellow members. All this reduces our sense of urgency to rush into quick fix techniques.
Some of the landmark events in the history of Narcotics Anonymous only came after a series of quick fix approaches failed to work. When enough members agreed to commit themselves to a solution, solid discussion, planning and action became possible. This was true of our service structure, our world service office and our Basic Text, "Narcotics Anonymous."
Trust bonds formed among members committed for the duration who were patiently willing to search each other’s hearts and minds to achieve at least a basic level of conscious agreement. This grew into spiritual unity and real results soon followed in most cases. Some of our struggles have been long and hard. Patience has proved itself indispensable.
Addicts continually resist all attempts by would be masters and do-gooders. This is because we have found that each one of us must wait, patiently or not, for the beginnings of an answer to arise from within. Until this has happened, we remain blind, deaf and dumb even to the most inspired appeals to better judgment.
The Twelve Steps guide us in these awakenings gently and steadily. So, our growth will be paced with the changes that must take place in our individual environments. We're often baffling to non-addicts and even sincere well-wishers. This is only a restatement of the need we have for other addicts who have a desire for recovery in NA. All rests on the desire.
Sometimes the patience we exercise is no reflection of a true lack of readiness on our part to act. It may be that having said or done what can be done, other people need time to make their adjustments, as they see fit. "In God's time, not mine," is a phrase we have heard used repeatedly at meetings. Acceptance of this idea is patience. As addicts, we usually want what we want instantly. Our entire existence had centered on immediate gratification when we were using drugs. Many of us find that even in recovery, we seek the rush brought on by "quick fix" solutions.
We want to have five years clean before we get six months. We want people whom we've harmed many times in our addiction to believe that we have really changed and expect to receive their forgiveness overnight. We may have come into Narcotics Anonymous financially destitute and deep in debt, yet after a short time clean we can't understand why we can't get a loan or a credit card. "Don't they know I'm clean now?" we've heard some members ask indignantly. Many times, they don't care and can't even imagine what being clean might mean. We must never forget that we enjoy a special environment constructed patiently by the love, goodwill and positive example of other clean addicts who care about us. They are paying back those who helped them the only way they can: by helping us. We in our turn, help those who are to come.
Eventually we learn to accept that because we live and recover "just for today," that doesn't mean we will get everything back in a day. If our lives to come are puzzle, we do get a piece of the puzzle on a daily basis. We put our best foot forward and do what needs to be done laying the groundwork for a brighter future. Asking our Higher Power for the patience to see our vision become a reality is part of the recovery process. "It's easy to have patience when things are going my way," said one member.
We agree, but the challenge of spiritual growth is to "practice these principles in all our affairs", not just the easy ones. We have come to realize that the discomfort felt when things aren't going our way or happening fast enough is simply our egos crying out for attention. The same egos that drove us into the depths of our disease drive us today.
Practicing patience takes a surrender of self-will. We come to believe that whatever the outcome, we will be taken care of. We look at our part to be sure that we've done all that we should have today. We ask that our will be aligned with God's will and we let our fears go with love.
Our experience has shown that practicing patience doesn't dilute or postpone miracles it enhances them. We are able to feel serene and be understanding in the most trying of circumstances. The freedom experienced from not having to be in control of the future feels like a great weight lifted from our souls. Patience is the practice of peace.
1.24.03]
persons have visited this site since May 10, 2002
Reprinted from the
N.A. FELLOWSHIP USE ONLY
Copyright � December 1998
Victor Hugo Sewell, Jr.
N.A. Foundation Group
2692 Whitehurst Drive NE
Marietta, Georgia 30062
[email protected]
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All rights reserved. This draft may be copied by members of Narcotics Anonymous for the purpose of writing input for future drafts, enhancing the recovery of NA members and for the general welfare of the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship as a whole. The use of an individual name is simply a registration requirement of the Library of Congress and not a departure from the spirit or letter of the Pledge, Preface or Introduction of this book. Any reproduction by individuals or organizations outside the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous is prohibited. Any reproduction of this document for personal or corporate monetary gain is prohibited.
Last update September 29, 2005