Caretaking
 

Hope for Today – July 27

As I recover from the effects of alcoholism, I’m discovering many things about myself. I instinctively want to fix problems, and they don’t necessarily have to be mine. In fact, most of the time they’re not.

If I hadn’t taken on many responsibilities while growing up in a large alcoholic family, no one would have. I became a very dependable person. I believed it was my responsibility to help others who could not or did not want to help themselves. What one person would call caretaking, I called being responsible.

I didn’t realize that doing for others what they needed to do for themselves was, in fact, doing them a great disservice. Doing for others didn’t allow them to be responsible; it enabled them to be irresponsible. God has a plan for each of us. Caretaking robs others of the self-esteem that comes from struggling with and conquering the challenges that God has planned for their lives. Letting others face the consequences of their actions allows them to learn and grow from their choices.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Standing with my arms extended and turning in a full circle gives me a visual marker of the extent of my responsibility. If it doesn’t come into my space, I leave it alone.

“Today I will remember that I have choices, and so does the alcoholic. I will make the best choices I can allow others in my life to do the same without interference.” Courage to Change p. 5