Courage
Page 68, Paragraph 3 of the Big Book: “The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage.”
I don’t know that as a child or teen growing up I thought I had courage. I was going through bad things and surviving, but I was too young to see that as courage. I was definitely a child of faith. I believed in God and stayed close to Him. In college I lost my way on so many levels. I began drinking and lost my faith in anything but the bottle. All I needed to make it through the day and night was plenty of booze. All I needed to make it through whatever happened in life was plenty of booze. I just wasn’t living. I was so oblivious.
After 15 years of drinking and having nothing else I had to find the courage to ask for help. I had to dig down deep. I had to ignore the butterflies. I had to put away my booze and take hold of things that really mattered.things that could really help me.things that could give me back my life. I found those things in AA. My sponsor, the Steps, and the Program taught me how to have real courage and use it daily to make a real life. Being well doesn’t mean I won’t need courage anymore. It just means I will know how to better use my resources and courage is one of those resources.
Please don’t think I never faltered. I am far from perfect. I stepped in it frequently over the last 7 years of sobriety. I had to learn how to use my Toolbox and that takes time. Once I did I could face anything. How? Courage. There it is again! Now that I know how to live when life hands me a lemon I have the well of courage to draw from. I am ever so grateful for those who have played a part in my sobriety. The AA-ers who have been full of experience and strength and hope have been priceless.
How has courage played a part in your life both before sobriety and after?