There are times when our emotions sit so close to the surface that it feels like we're only moments away from making a bad situation worse. The resentment is building. The fear is growing. The feeling that this isn't right starts taking over our thinking. Our A.A. discipline wrestles with our lower nature, and finding an opening into the light can feel like searching for a door in the dark.
Most of us know exactly what that moment feels like. The text is half written. The argument is loaded and ready to fire. The steering wheel is getting squeezed a little too hard. The mind is racing, looking for someone to blame or some way to force the world to cooperate.
Right before the breaking point, in a moment of emotional desperation, a simple prayer can be enough:
"God, please keep one hand on my shoulder and one hand over my mouth."
It sounds funny, but it works. It creates just enough space between the feeling and the action. Just enough room for God to get a word in before our character defects do. Sometimes the greatest spiritual victory of the day isn't what we say or do. Sometimes it's what we don't say and don't do.
When was the last time staying quiet saved you from making a situation worse?
