Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

September 17, 2018

“He uses common sense to judge not the intentions of an action but its consequence. He takes responsibility for everything he does, even if he has to pay a high price for his mistakes.” –Paulo Coelho

In recovery, we aim for acceptance of others and responsibility for our actions.  Acceptance of others’ intentions is an important gift for us to offer regardless of whether it is given to us in return.  Doing our best to accept the intention of others is one way we slowly make amends for the damage we have done in our addiction.  Likewise, accepting responsibility for the consequences (not necessarily the intention) of our actions is another way we continually make amends.  Sometimes this feels unfair until we step back and weigh the lengthy and significant impact of our addiction against the relatively recent changes in our recovery.  With time, perhaps our debt will be forgiven by those close to us.

When have I self righteously judged others?  When have I cried foul when my actions, not my intent, were judged?  What gifts await me as I accept the intentions of others and take responsibility for my actions?