Be Vigilant

Luke 12: 36-38 “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.  And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”

A math teacher in high school use to tell his students before preparing for a math test that failing to prepare was preparing to fail. For the addict failing to prepare ourselves always led to us preparing to fail and give in to our addiction. After giving into our addiction, if we were truly honest with ourselves, always led to feeling unhappy or  not blessed. Jesus is saying to feel happy we need to gird our loins and be vigilant, and He will serve us. So what does it mean to be vigilant and to gird our loins? Some practical ways to be vigilant (protect against dangers) and gird our loins (strengthen our wills to resist danger) to prevent giving in to the addiction are many. We just have to be willing to use them in the moment. Here are a few to put into practice. Have a daily commitment to reading scripture and meditating on what is good, true, just, virtuous as recommended by Saint Paul in his Letter to the Philippians. When our minds are focused on virtue they allow us to let go of resentments, worries, and fears, and we become more willing to forgive ourselves and others. Have a daily commitment to calling trusted friends from your support group or Church and become willing to talk to them about your struggles and victories, allowing them to give you support and encouragement to do battle. Participate regularly in 12 Step meetings so you can gain strength from others who share your struggle and are having victory in the battle.