I hope that wherever you are, you know Recovery is with you.
Doesn’t it make sense that Recovery would plant in us a desire for what it already wants to give us? To understand this, let’s look at the word homesickness. We often think of homesickness as a sad or nostalgic feeling. It is an emptiness that looks backward or forward, longing for peace and a place to belong.
We are both driven and called forward by a deep homesickness. Recovery reaches into our past and walks with us into our future. It is the same home, the same loving call, and the same Recovery.
When we stop seeking our true home, we can lose touch with ourselves. We may feel empty inside and disconnected from our deeper awareness. It has been said that 90 percent of us seem to live 90 percent of our lives on cruise control. In other words, we move through life without being fully awake to what is happening within us.
So, what is the antidote?
The Spirit is an agent of Recovery, working quietly within us at the deepest levels of our being. The Spirit keeps us connected to a stream of healing and love that is already there, if we allow ourselves to receive it. Home is another word for the Spirit within us, our True Self in Recovery.
Teresa of Ávila expresses this beautiful truth: “The self—the same moment that we find God (Recovery) in ourselves, we also find ourselves inside (Recovery) God, and this is the full homecoming.”
Until we recognize our homesickness, we may call it loneliness, isolation, longing, sadness, restlessness, or even depression. We feel something is missing, but we may not understand what our hearts are truly seeking.
In the early part of my Recovery, I did everything I could to feel good about myself. I was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Despite my efforts, I still felt empty inside. I tried to fill that emptiness by achieving more, striving for perfection, pleasing others, and keeping myself super busy.
Eventually, as I deepened my commitment to healing, the Spirit helped me recognize my homesickness. I began to understand that my longing was about more than feeling better or accomplishing more. My heart was calling me toward a deeper connection with God, myself, and the healing love of Recovery.
In this second part of my Recovery, I am learning that this is not a one-time event. It is a lifelong journey of returning home to the truth of who I am.
When homesickness rises within me, I pause and ask myself: Do I really want this material thing, such as a new pair of jeans? Or is my heart asking me to turn toward the Spirit? Is there a gift of healing waiting for me, something I need to understand, or a loving action I am being called to take?
The good news is that we have a guide within us, a kind of spiritual advocate and inner compass. This loving presence is available to each one of us.
Recovery assures us that we are never truly orphaned, left without a home or a loving presence to guide us. We are invited to come home to ourselves, to one another, and to God.
The Twelve Steps help free us from the things that keep us lost. Little by little, we learn to listen to the Spirit, trust the healing process, and receive the love that has been waiting for us all along.
We are not simply searching for a home. We are learning that, through the Spirit, we have been invited home all along.
Remember, Recovery is happening right now, in this moment.
Please pick up my new book. Your support of my ministry allows me to serve others. Daily Devotional: 12 Steps to Unshakeable Recovery: Winter, L.J.: 9798987012741: Amazon.com: Books
SuperHuman Being
Peace
Larry
email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website: https://superhumanbeing.net/