January 25, 2005

Honesty is Essential to Recovery

Father Leo's Daily Meditation
"Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom." -- Thomas Jefferson
It is impossible to have a spiritual program without being honest. It is impossible to be recovering from addiction without being honest. An aspect of sobriety is honesty.

Today I can see that I was never really known when I was "using" because I was so dishonest. I stopped other people from getting to know me. I stopped me from getting to know me. Part of my pain involved my dishonesty; part of my loneliness and feelings of isolation was caused by my dishonesty; the unmanageability that nearly destroyed my life grew in my dishonesty.

Today I need to be honest, rigorously honest --- even in the small things. I can no longer exist to please others --- I need to please myself. I need to love myself by being honest.

O God of wisdom, let me find truth in the honesty of my own life.

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