March 8

FAITH MONTH: DAY 8: “Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be… a prudent insurance policy.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert

We cannot receive the assurances and guarantees we want when we first get into this deal. I remember how much I wanted an email every day from the Power, so I knew which shoes to wear.

This is important for someone like me. If I have to go to the market on my way home, I need to NOT wear my cute heels that are slippery and painful to walk in on polished linoleum floors. Or, if I had to go somewhere like a hospital or something to do whatever it might entail, I wanted to be in comfy shoes. But they are not quite as cute with my planned outfit, etc.

I remember one of my favorite pairs of shoes (looks only, of course!) that I wore to the prison I went into most frequently. The guys in there LOVED these shoes. But they were brutal to walk in and we had to cross the yard to get in. Longggggggg walk…but I did not want to disappoint.

So, knowing which shoes to wear can be a great thing. Especially if your car breaks down and so on. It would be a great service to know that my day is not going to entail these things if I wear the cute shoes. But I never got these kinds of emails, so I just had to learn to let go and be prepared for anything life may throw at me. In other words, I always have a pair of flip flops and tennies in my car.

So, although this quote deals with the bigger picture of faith, I believe it is in the details of life that we begin to let go and let it all unfold as it will. This is what we get; a daily, one step at a time kind of faith. If we find that we are suddenly abstinent and going to meetings, calling that sponsor, doing some of the footwork to clear away wreckage, the we are on the right path. Doing the next indicated thing will not feel like such a giant leap off the cliff.

In our ego-based thinking, though, we want a clear picture of the next 10 or 20 or 30 years, so we can see what to do next. That ain’t gonna happen. So, taking one day at a time and being prepared for what we can, we go out and do this day. And, in my experience so far, I always wear the cute shoes. I always want to be the best and most adorable example of how this stuff works and what it looks like…Hahaha!