If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭1

Everything in us cries out for pity during the very times we are most in need of expressing love.

The inward draw of our self-focused addictive mindset is strong. Its undertow brings us down and back and whispers to ignore anything but ourselves.

But thank God for the wisdom of others who have gone before us.

We are told to keep coming back despite our negativity.

We are told to keep leaning forward despite our stubbornness.

We are told to change despite our inability to recognize the need.

And we are told how to start despite not asking.

If we keep hanging around recovered people, their love and selflessness becomes infectious. We cannot recover by osmosis alone, but it certainly highlights the path forward.

Slow steps in the right direction help us focus less on ourselves and more on how we can begin contributing to life again.

The parasitic pastime of our drinking and using becomes a poisonous memory that we work hard to steer away from.

God give me the strength to love others well.