January 29
What the Words Cost
It is easy to speak warmly about generosity while nothing has interrupted our plans. The idea becomes more interesting when listening means missing a little convenience, or making room means giving up a preferred arrangement. We may discover that we like generosity very much as long as it remains inexpensive. That discovery can be uncomfortable without being the end of the story.
Living faith gives our beliefs somewhere to take hold. A modest sacrifice of time or preference may reveal more than an eloquent explanation. This does not mean every request deserves a yes, or that exhaustion proves devotion. It means our principles will occasionally ask something of us that we would rather keep. We can notice that moment without dramatizing it. There is a chance to let care become tangible, and to learn what happens when another person's need matters enough to influence the use of our afternoon.
What convenience do I expect my spiritual principles never to disturb?
I have a few minutes to listen.
For the A.A. nerds: As Bill Sees It, No. 212, “Faith and Action.”