You've Come This Far.

...Keep Going Farther.

I once had a sponsor in AA who, when people in the group would be facing difficult and trying times, would say, "Your Higher Power did not bring you this far just to leave you behind." To this day, when facing hard times, I still remember that saying.

When things look bad, it is easy to give up hope. Yet, when we look back and see how far we have come in life and the past troubles we have faced down, we can see how strong we have been in the past and how the Universe was there to guide us.

Thinking along these lines this afternoon, the above saying caught my eye, "You didn't come this far to only come this far." There is a lot of truth to that statement.

Somedays we may feel like we have had enough. We may feel like quitting and throwing in the towel. But, have we traveled so far just for this to be the end of our journey? Or are we willing to keep pushing forward to overcome the hurdles we are facing and keep moving ahead in our journey?

Next month I celebrate 13 years sobriety after a 35-year struggle with alcoholism. When I got clean in December 2006, I wondered how long my new-found sobriety would last. I faced many challenges; financial, legal, personal, and professional. So many things seemed to be against me. But I decided to keep pushing ahead, one day at a time.

Gradually, one day turned into two.

More days turned into a week.

Weeks turned into Months.

Months turned into my first year clean and sober.

And all the days and weeks since have added up to 13 years of quality life.

So now, when challenges come up and I feel like saying the heck with it, the words of my old departed sponsor come back into my mind. "Your Higher Power did not bring you this far just to leave you behind." Then, I take a deep breath and refocus.

If the past 13 years have taught me anything it is that common people can do some pretty amazing things if they only have faith and persevere. It may not be faith in God in the traditional sense. It can be faith in yourself and in the Universe; that all things will work out as they should. But it needs to be a rudimentary faith in something that gives you the strength to keep on going when you feel like giving up. And, once that faith is found, It can create an unstoppable force working to propel you forward.

Did you come this far in your walk only to go this far?

Or are there still new places to go and better things to do?

I know I'm not done yet.

-Ralph L.