Tara Brach, in her book Radical Acceptance, quotes an Indian master Bapuji, who writes:
My beloved child,
Break your heart no longer.
Each time you judge yourself you break your own heart.
You stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality.
The time has come, your time
To live, to celebrate and to see the goodness that you are…
Let no one, no thing, no idea or ideal obstruct you
If one comes, even in he name of “Truth,” forgive it for its unknowing
Do not fight.
Let go.
And breathe – into the goodness that you are.
My reflection: I broke my own heart a million times over. When my son was in active addiction, I judged myself harshly and counted out all the ways I could have handled things differently. I fought with myself and anyone who judged my son. I refused to let go and let God.
Today’s Promise to consider: For many years, I was my own worst enemy. Addiction was determined to crush my soul and I allowed it to do just that. I was full of self-criticism and guilt until I realized that I was powerless. When I finally surrendered, learned how to find solace in prayer and began to trust the goodness that surrounded me, I got stronger.
thank you 🙂 I hope I can begin my journey to get stronger
How do we as parents surrender? How do we let go and let God? How do we come to the realization that we are indeed powerless? One word answers these question and that word is PAIN. No one can alter your path of enabling and codependency! Each of us are on our own journey and we will find our own personal recovery in our own way and in our own time. That time will come when the PAIN of addiction brings you to your knees and you cry out to the God of your understanding for His strength and guidance. God will open up new pathways and you will regain your peace and serenity. The key is grieving the loss of the child of your dreams. That child is gone and not coming back. You will get a new child, a child in recovery. One that you will love and cherish beyond your imagination. Work hard on yourself! Trust your God! Hope begins now!