Effort

"There was joy in concentration, and the whole world afforded an inexhaustible wealth of projects to concentrate on. There was joy in effort, and the world resisted effort to just the right degree, and yielded to it at last… Effort alone I loved."
~ Annie Dillard

I love this book and these words by Ms. Dillard. In recovery we seem to call effort willingness. I have learned that if willing I am putting in the effort to do the work necessary to bring about a continued psychic change. This quote tells me what happens: When I make the effort, I feel the joy.  When I make the effort, I feel the resistance that comes with all change.  When I make the effort, I am closer to God's will for me. And somewhere in between effort and surrender, I am born anew. The miracle is that this can happen everyday.  Amen

Personal Journal | Published July 28, 2012