There is No Try

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Yoda once told Luke Skywalker, “Try not, do or do not; there is no try”. He then did something that Luke was unable to do, something seemingly impossible. Luke said, “I don’t believe it” to which Yoda responded, “That is why you fail.” Yoda sought to give Luke the most important of all gifts: the power of belief. Today, let us apply this metaphor to our recoveries and see how we’re doing in our galaxy.

I have heard it said that alcoholics are egomaniacs with low self-esteem. I have no reason or other evidence with which to dispute that claim. In fact, it describes me pretty damn good!
Historically, I was a doubter of everything and especially myself. I doubted that God loved me and I certainly didn’t love myself. I knew myself too well. I knew my selfish heart. I knew just how unlovable I was. And it was these very thoughts and beliefs that led me into some poor behavior with devastating consequences. I didn’t turn out to be a very good god, which I obviously was trying to be. I controlled nothing; I had no belief in anything. It became the defining characteristic of my illness.

But then God found me, pinned me against the wall and told me what I needed to hear. He told me He loved me. He told me He had a good and unique plan for me. He told me He would meet all my needs. He told me He would relieve me of my worries. He told me I would be happy. That is, if I chose to believe Him right now.

So, at that point, it was on me.

I have learned that if I choose to believe that these things are true and have a confidence in them, they come to fruition. When I trust God, these things invariably happen without fail. When I don’t do these things, I already know what is going to happen and not happen. When it comes to the spiritual aspect of our lives, we must hold a faith greater than we ever have before. We must remember that FAITH stands for “Forsaking All, I Trust Him”.

This is a do-or-do-not thing.

My success is not predicated on God doing His Part. He has always done His Part; He always will do His Part. It is incumbent upon me to believe it and to apply that belief to my thoughts and actions. When I choose to believe, what I believe in then becomes true. Don’t ask me how; it just works that way. I can try if I want to or I can just succeed. The choice is mine and I pray that I have the wisdom to make the right one. I am pretty convinced that there is no try, not anymore.

The Force will be with you, always.

Thank you
Jim

James A. Francetich is a freelance writer and author. The opinions expressed are solely of the author and do not represent any community based recovery programs, private or public entities or any governmental agencies.