August 21: Spiritual Principle a Day, read by Fern

Spiritual Principle a Day for August 21, read by Fern

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August 21

Faith to Let Go

"We plan for the future just for today and let go of the outcome, even when we really want it."

—Living Clean, Chapter 1, “Why We Stay”

––––=––––

Early in recovery, many of us are told, “Hey, don’t future-trip!” when we express certainty that disaster lies ahead, no matter what we might do to prevent it, including staying clean and working a program. In NA, we frequently and actively encourage each other to be in the present moment, to focus on today and what is directly in front of us, instead of fearing what may come to pass.

But let’s not be confused about what this means. We can and should plan for the future. We can allow ourselves to want a better life, full of good stuff—even really, really want it. We can't let fear of the unknown prevent our progress. Enacting the future we desire depends upon our willingness to plot steps in the direction of our vision and our desires . . . and having faith that we are going to be okay, no matter the outcome.

What we need to be cautious about, however, are expectations. Because we’ve let ourselves really want something, dare to hope for it, even (gasp!) fantasize about getting it, a loss can really shake us. But we can’t let disappointment, or feelings of entitlement, rob us of the faith in ourselves that can feel so fragile at such times. We also can’t succumb to the temptation to let a single failure, despite all of our good intentions and hard work, define us and stop us from trying again. One of faith’s toughest and most rewarding lessons is when we do everything in our power to succeed, turn over the rest, lose out, learn from it, and be okay to let it go. That’s a moment of freedom to savor, because it strengthens our faith to try again.

And there may even be times when the outcome we’ve experienced initially as utter failure turns out to be the best possible result that could have happened. Faith, perspective, and time often work together in ways that create insights we could never have imagined.

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Spiritual Principle:

I won’t let fear and uncertainty stop me from wanting more out of life. Faith will help me get my plan in action, find some acceptance, and help me stay out of—and deal with—the results, whatever they may be.

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© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Welcome to the Voices of Recovery podcast.
This is your Spiritual Principleof the Day episode featuring a
recovering addict. Hi, my name is Fern.

(00:23):
My clean date is January 5th, 1984.
You're listening to the Voices of Recovery podcast.
This is the spiritual principle of the day for August 21st.
Faith to let go. We plan for the future, just for
today, and let go of the outcomeeven when we really want it.

(00:49):
Living Clean Chapter 1 Why We Stay early in recovery Many of
us are told hey don't future trip when we express certainty
that disaster lies ahead no matter what we might do to
prevent it, including staying clean and working a program in

(01:10):
NA. We frequently and actively
encourage each other to be in the present moment, to focus on
today and what is directly in front of us, instead of fearing
what may come to pass. But let's not be confused about
what this means. We can and should plan for the

(01:31):
future. We can allow ourselves to want a
better life full of good stuff, even really, really want it.
We can't let fear of the unknownprevent our progress.
Enacting the future we desire depends on our willingness to
plot steps in the direction of our vision and our desires, and

(01:55):
having faith that we are going to be OK no matter what the
outcome. What we need to be cautious
about, however, are expectations.
Because we let ourselves really want something, dare to hope for
it, or even fantasize about getting it.
A loss can really shake us. But we can't let disappointment

(02:18):
or feelings of entitlement BLOB us of the faith in ourselves
that can feel so fragile at suchtimes.
We also can't succumb to the temptation to let a single
failure, despite all our good intentions and hard work, define
us and stop us from trying again.

(02:40):
One of faith's toughest and mostrewarding lessons is when we do
everything in our power to succeed, turn over the rest,
lose out, learn from it, and be OK to let it go.
That's a moment of freedom to savor because it strengthens our
faith to try again. And there may even be times when

(03:04):
the outcome we've experienced initially as utter failure seems
to be the best possible result we could have imagined.
Faith, perseverance, and time often work together in ways that
create insights we could never have imagined.
Spiritual principle. I won't let fear and uncertainty

(03:28):
stop me from wanting more out oflife.
Faith will help me get my plan in action, find some acceptance,
and help me stay out of and dealwith the results, whatever they
may be. The Voices of Recovery Podcast
is an independent production of the works of Wisdom.

(03:49):
We welcome your questions and donations via PayPal at
[e-mail]. This podcast is an independent
production and is not affiliatedwith, associated with,
authorized by, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected
with Narcotics Anonymous or any of its subsidiaries or
affiliates. While any literature may be read

(04:10):
during episodes for the purpose of supporting recovery, such use
does not constitute an official endorsement or representation by
Narcotics Anonymous. In accordance with any
tradition, the NA name is not tobe used to endorse or be
affiliated with any outside enterprise, and no such
endorsement or affiliation is implied.
Music is by Sage. Thanks for listening to the

(04:31):
Voices of Recovery podcast.