~ OPPORTUNITIES ~
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Tiger, tiger, burning bright,
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye,
could frame thy dreadful symmetry?
William Blake
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This quote from mystic and poet William
Blake expresses the sense of wonder
and awe I have about God, who can make
a being like a tiger, an aggressive carnivore.
God, who I suppose to be kind and loving,
makes beings that are potentially
dangerous to me. The question "Why?"
stirs in my mind, alongside fears about
what God may have in store for me.
"Fear of the Lord, is the beginning of
wisdom," says one religious text. I can feel
grateful for the stirring fear, and question,
as the seeds of new wisdom.
A quick thought enters, "I can also feel
grateful for the chance to flex my faith
muscles and to increase their strength.
Maybe that's why God makes tigers and
their ilk."
A habit of staying detached from the
emotions life arouses in me heightens my
perceptions of what life has to offer;
highlights what God has to offer in each
situation, and the reasons I have for being
grateful. This is essential to my recovery.
It's the spine of an attitude of gratitude that
also nurtures remembrance of God, and
conscious contact with Him.
ONE DAY AT A TIME ...
I thank God for what I have already learned, for all opportunities to learn more, and for the chance to perfect "skill in action" in my recovery way of life.