One of the sneakiest forms of pride isn't talking all the time—it's quietly deciding we've already heard everything worth hearing.
After a few years sober, it's easy to sit in a meeting thinking, "Yeah, yeah... I've heard this one before. I know this reading. I know what they're going to say." The funny thing is, the moment we decide we already know it all, we stop listening. We may still be sitting in the chair, but our mind has already left the room.
I've heard people with thirty years sober say something that changed my life. I've also heard someone who just walked through the doors say something that hit me right between the eyes. God has never seemed too concerned about using the person with the longest sobriety date. He just uses whoever is willing.
Pride says, "I've got something to teach everyone else."
Humility says, "I wonder what I can learn today."
The Big Book tells us we have a daily reprieve based on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Yesterday's insight doesn't keep me sober today. That's why I still need meetings, still need sponsorship, and still need to listen like my life depends on it—because it does.
Can I learn something today from the person I least expect to learn from?
