Daily Inventory

Celebrate Recovery’s Principle 7 says, “Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.”

Daily time? Like EVERY day? Come on. Really? Who has time for that? I barely got time to remember to put my kids to bed at night, let alone set time aside every morning for what? Self-examination? What is that? Bible reading? I don’t even read the newspaper. Prayer? Why? Things aren’t that bad. And for what? All this to know God? Why would I want to do that? What’s the point? What’s He going to do for me?

And that’s it. That’s it right there, isn’t it? WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? Sound familiar? It’s ok. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re at Celebrate Recovery; to work on me, to work on you, each of us is here to work on ourselves (unless you’re here to support someone else, which means you just don’t know yet that you need help too). Don’t worry about it, give it some time. Ok, back to Principle 7.

Principle 7 is a strategy for healthy living. Principle 7 is planning for successful living (after all, failing to plan is planning to fail). Principle 7 leads to the freedom you’ve always dreamt of, but never thought you’d find. It’s not about SOBRIETY, it’s about living a BETTER life.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m willing to bet each and every person in this room, each and every person in this city, in this county, in this state, in this whole flippin’ world wants a BETTER life. Even people who think they have it all, people who have the big house and nice cars want more, want something BETTER. Principle 7 helps us get there. Principle 7 says, “Here are these 3 things, do them on a regular basis and your life won’t just get BETTER, it’ll be the BEST POSSIBLE life you can live.”

Let me say that again, “the BEST POSSIBLE life you can live!”

I want that and if you don’t, let me know because I’ll take your share too. Trust me, I can use all the help I can get.

So, what’s the big deal about spending time on a daily basis with God? Easy, He wants the BEST for you. You’re His kid, maybe a tired, irresponsible, bad-mouthed, rebellious kid, but you’re still His kid. God knows where you’re at, God sees what you’re going through, and He doesn’t want you to stay there. Remember, He wants the BEST for you and He’s willing to help you get there. THAT is why consistent time with God is so important. Now Bible reading and prayer ARE important, but right now I want to focus on the first thing: self-examination.

Who here likes to look at themselves in the mirror? Now, come on. Be honest. Most people have mirrors set up all over the place. There’s a mirror just outside your shower. There’s a mirror just outside your bathroom. There’s a mirror on your closet door. There’s a mirror on your stairwell. There’s a mirror in your living room. Face it; you like to look at yourself. You might not like WHAT you see, but you definitely like to LOOK. What are you thinking about while you’re looking at yourself, chances are you’re thinking about how this looks and that looks and what you’d like to change here and change there. You’re EXAMINING yourself. Now, apply that to your spiritual life and everyday living. You gotta look at the parts that you LIKE and the parts you want to CHANGE. You gotta take the GOOD with the BAD. How do you do this? Here are 3 ways you can evaluate your life, 3 ways you can examine WHO you are and WHAT you’re doing.

Ongoing Inventory—what’s this? This is an ongoing, never-ending, what the heck am I doing, saying, and thinking examination. Hence the name: ongoing. This is the BEST and the most DIFFICULT of the three. In an ongoing inventory you don’t just let things slide. You don’t set things aside for later. You handle it right now. Got made and said the wrong thing to your wife or kids or boss? Own up to it and make amends on the stop. Remember, holding that stuff in is what brought you here in the first place.

Daily Inventory—why is this one necessary? Ok, maybe there was something that you missed. Maybe there was something you did that you didn’t catch. Maybe you like me and sometimes you just don’t quite catch a social queue—what’s that? Maybe you didn’t notice that your wife was hurt or your kids were crushed or your boss was offended. Call it being naïve; sometimes I just don’t SEE it. Sometimes I need you to be straightforward and TELL me what I’ve done. This doesn’t mean you have an out, no, it means later in the day, when all has calmed down and you’re watching your favorite show or eating your favorite meal and all of the sudden you remember something happened, write it down (so you don’t forget) and call that person to make amends.

Periodic Inventory—what’s the deal? Why would I need to do a PERIODIC inventory if I’m already doing an ongoing AND daily one? Ok, let’s face it. I’m human. You’re human. We’re not the best at letting things go. I can apologize to you all day and all night and hear you say “I forgive you” again and again and STILL not get over it. Guilt and shame are a pain in the butt. They will HAUNT you. They will HOLD YOU DOWN and KEEP YOU IN PLACE! Why do a periodic inventory? Because sometimes you just gotta get away and get your crap out. Set aside a few hours or a few days (vacation always sounds nice doesn’t it?) and share your junk with someone you trust. Confess it, let it go, and DON’T pick it back up again!

There you have it. 3 ways to evaluate your life. 3 ways to examine WHO you are and WHAT you’re doing. Isn’t that recovery? Isn’t that why you’re here? Isn’t that why we’re all here? You and I reached a point in our lives when we asked, “Who the heck is that staring back at me in the mirror?” You didn’t recognize yourself. You couldn’t figure out why you did the things you did and said the things you said. I don’t want that again, do you?

God wants the BEST for you. I want the BEST for you (and me, too). I don’t want to keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result each time. I don’t want to keep coming back to group talking about the same problem. I don’t want to continue going through life without a care in this world. I don’t want to give up. I don’t want to throw in the towel. And I want you ride there beside me. I want us to do this TOGETHER so we can show everybody else that hope is real and freedom is possible.

Grab a friend. Grab a partner. And do Principle 7 together. Ask the difficult questions, “Are you setting time aside each day for self-examination Are you doing an ongoing inventory? A daily inventory? When’s the last time you did a periodic inventory? Are you reading the Bible? Are you praying? Are you chasing after a BETTER life?” What will you do? I can’t make you do it and nobody can do it for you. Do you want it? Do you want a BETTER? Are you willing to work for it?