“Instinct run wild in themselves is the underlying cause of their destructive drinking.” — Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 44
Instincts gone wild. It happens. And more than likely, they come back around and bite us in the ass. Pressuring other people to make us feel comfortable and connected. Unreasonable demands for sex, security, money, and esteem. It happens. That’s not new. What’s new is this: we’ve got options now.
We can pause. We can pray. We can ask for guidance. We can hit a meeting, call someone in AA, write it out, or do something for somebody else until the fog lifts and our thinking untangles a bit. Or… we can go back to the old “seek and destroy” plan—chasing relief, controlling everything, and lighting our lives on fire just to feel okay for five minutes. That road still works… it just works exactly how it always did.
God’s not asking us to wrestle life into submission. He’s not asking us to win the game of instincts. He’s offering something different, something lighter. A way to live where we’re not twisted up in every want, fear, and demand. More like care free kids again. Less managing, more trusting.
So when the instincts start revving, we don’t have to follow them into the ditch. We can lean on God, stay close to the people who get it, and let the storm pass without turning it into a disaster.
Are your instincts running the show today… or are you letting something bigger take the wheel?
