Struggling

I wrote this yesterday for a woman I sponsor who was struggling. The only problem was, I had a tough day yesterday as well, back into the computer games I had licked--which obviously I have them no more conquered than I do the food. I ate too much cheese yesterday, then to top off the day I had a package of sugar-free pudding mix with 2/3 cup dry milk and the rest of the dates in the bag... none of which is even on my food plan much less that it was at a stupid time of day for eating. But I was struggling, like my friend. And here's what we both needed to hear last night:

1. I admitted I was powerless over food, that my life had become unmanageable, that I was tired of struggling to manage it.
2. I came to believe that the God I'd always known and trusted with everything but the parts of my life that shamed me, that embarrassed me, that seemed like I was a disappointment to him could restore me to sanity even in this area of my life.
3. I made a decision to TURN MY WILL and my LIFE over to God's care, to quit struggling to do it on my own.
4. Then I did what I could to clear my junk out of the rubble so he would have room to operate. I looked carefully at just what mess was in the way.
5. I admitted it to God and to another human being, embarrassing though it might be, and I felt it actually quite freeing, letting go, quitting trying to hide, to be in charge, to cover up, to look good.
6. I took another look at the disaster I'd made and shrugged my shoulders and said God could have it, nothing I'd spent all those years trying to make better, patch, fluff up were worth anything to me at all.
7. I told God he was welcome to any of it, all of it, just let me free from the burden of carrying it.
8. I looked around at the helpless victims of my arrogance to see what harm my pride had brought them.
9. When it didn't hurt anything (but my pride) I did what little I could do to patch things up.
10. I didn't let things get back into my old patterns, kept giving it over to God.
11. I stopped and talked to God and LISTENED to see what he wanted to do with my life and asked for the power to be what help I could.
12. I shared the good news with everybody I could find who would listen!
    
    Give up the struggle. But don't give up the path, the steps.