Blog entry for:

Wed, Dec 17, 2014 07:25:42 AM


→ everything that occurs in the course of service to this fellowship ↵
posted: Wed, Dec 17, 2014 07:25:42 AM

 

must be motivated by the desire to more successfully carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers. and of course, this and only this is my ON:LY motive for anything i do in service to my fellowship. that is the way it has always been, and so it shall continue, as infinitum! 'nuff said, move along. ;)
or so i would like to think in my most delusional state, however, the truth and, perhaps that is with a capital “T,” is that is never th3e actual case. sure carrying the message is always right up there. sure, as i get some more clean time, and work an ACTIVE program of recovery, it has become my paramount motive for serving BUT, it was and still is not my ONLY motive for service. before i get accused of minimizing my contribution or false humility, i want to say that i am grateful the POWER of the the collective fellowship was great enough to overcome my ego and will, and prevent my misguided service attempts from harming my local fellowship. i know, more pomposity, but words lack to express what i am feeling right now. i know that i have served for all sorts of motives. i also know that more than once i succeeded in imposing my will on a situation. it is those instances, when i could possibly do the greatest harm, that i am grateful for the collective of my peers, that thwarted or minimized less than stellar outcomes. it is in the spirit of “felonious” service that i serve today. what that has come to mean, at least for me, is that i serve as if i was committing a felony and do my best to keep it on the very down low. in that spirit it then behooves me to say i serve, i am grateful to serve and i am working on eliminating all other motives for why i serve from my life.
writing about HOW i serve is like spoiling a good deed by bragging about it, so i think i will shift the focus off of what i do to serve and back on to the WHY of it.
i serve because i owe a debt to the fellowship that has given me this manner of living. someone had the doors opened, the literature laid out, the coffee made and welcomed me to my first meeting, even though i was late, sat in the back of the room, and quickly ran off, after the meeting was done. someone hugged me and gave me key-tags, even when i was pretending to have clean time. someone helped write that literature, fostered the growth of the fellowship worldwide and created an atmosphere of recovery, as rough as it was in those days, but it was all here when i got here, and it was still here when i was ready to be more than another using addict. i owe those addicts, and the only way i can pay it back, is through doing what they showed me to do, when i am not trying to impress everyone with how fVcking selfless and spiritual i think i am. honestly, when i strip away my ego and recognize what i owe, becoming selfless in service and serving only to carry the message comes naturally to me.
today? well today i am grateful to be clean, and if i am given the opportunity to serve, i have HOPE that i can and will serve with a single motive min my mind and my heart: TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE OF RECOVERY, TO THE STILL SUFFERING.

∞ DT ∞

 

djtConsulting Brand
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.

Another Look!

↔ service work and motives ↔ 236 words ➥ Friday, December 17, 2004 by: donnot
∞ motive check?reality check! ∞ 288 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2005 by: donnot
δ when i find myself with an especially strong urge to do or have something, δ 378 words ➥ Sunday, December 17, 2006 by: donnot
μ when i decide to serve my fellowship, i make a decision to help addicts find and maintain recovery. μ 208 words ➥ Monday, December 17, 2007 by: donnot
∞ my motives are often a surprise to me, even after a bit of time clean! ∞ 505 words ➥ Wednesday, December 17, 2008 by: donnot
± it is much easier to frighten away using addicts than to convince them to stay ± 428 words ➥ Thursday, December 17, 2009 by: donnot
… my service efforts must be motivated by the desire to more successfully … 740 words ➥ Friday, December 17, 2010 by: donnot
≅ i will check my motives for the true spirit of service ≅ 478 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2011 by: donnot
« it is particularly important to check my motives » 592 words ➥ Monday, December 17, 2012 by: donnot
ƒ however, an unselfish desire to serve others ƒ 492 words ➥ Tuesday, December 17, 2013 by: donnot
☀ service motives ☁ 458 words ➥ Thursday, December 17, 2015 by: donnot
🌎 the true sprint of service 🌎 502 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2016 by: donnot
🌊 motivated by the DESIRE 🌌 798 words ➥ Sunday, December 17, 2017 by: donnot
👁 what i really want 👁 625 words ➥ Monday, December 17, 2018 by: donnot
✓ checking my motives ✔ 724 words ➥ Tuesday, December 17, 2019 by: donnot
🗦 an unselfish desire 🗧 329 words ➥ Thursday, December 17, 2020 by: donnot
🦚 game-playing, 🦚 477 words ➥ Friday, December 17, 2021 by: donnot
🤔 the desire 🤐 438 words ➥ Saturday, December 17, 2022 by: donnot
😑 patience 😑 372 words ➥ Sunday, December 17, 2023 by: donnot
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☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯

THE TAO TEH KING, OR THE TAO AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge

Book 1

4) Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them
the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.