FOOD FOR THOUGHT - OA OCTOBER

[MajestyJo]

Monday, October 13, 2014

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Rigorous Honesty

As we work the OA program, we find that we cannot be rigorously honest about what we are eating unless we are rigorously honest about our other actions as well. Once our Higher Power takes charge of our lives, a general housecleaning occurs. Gradually, we see that the attitudes and activities, which undermine our integrity, have to go.

The housecleaning process can be painful. It involves facing aspects of ourselves, which we would prefer to remain hidden - our dependency, pride, selfishness, and avarice. Sex and money are often areas where our attitudes and practices need revision. What we are doing is shifting from an ego-centered to a God-centered orientation, and the shift is not always smooth.

Rigorous honesty shows up harmful relationships for what they are. It illumines our motives, which are not always the best. The love and care of our Higher Power support us as our weaknesses are exposed. Through His healing power, we are strengthened and made whole.

Grant me the ability to practice rigorous honesty in all areas of my life.

The meaning of rigorous honesty: If it didn't hurt, you need to dig deeper and peel back a few more layers of the onion. I was told that recovery was peeling back the layers of the onion to find the real you. I am thinking now I was a dunderhead, but knowing I had Fibromyalgia, I probably did think of it back then and forgot it, bit had the thought NOW, why the onion? Because it stinks and represents all the stinking thinking and all the crap buried under the skin and all the lies, half truths, the lies by omission, and the ones that got pained up to look pretty you have trouble recognizing them. Self truth, not the ones you told to others but the ones you told yourself.