Daily Reprieve - December

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December 3

OVERLY CRITICAL OR HONEST

But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. Alcoholics Anonymous, page 86

“Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty.” Job 9:20

For what it's worth: Morbid thinking was part of drinking. The thought that I was guilty of all manner of sin and condemned by God fired my drinking for years. That mind-set was so ingrained that it followed me into recovery. Years of hammering on my part and the grace of God, teaching me to trust His love, finally drove it out. Still though, I have to be careful “not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection”. Since I am not playing with a full deck of serotonin, I have to be especially careful when taking inventory. When I am in the midst of clinical depression, it can be difficult to know if I am being overly critical of myself or just being honest. Now I can get anxious about that or I can enjoy the blessing of two mental diseases, alcoholism and clinical depression, making me more dependent on my Heavenly Father’s love.

God bless you!
Joe W.