We do not have to handle our problems alone.

Thinking that we needed no one's help made us feel strong and proud. We were capable, we were good managers, and we had the answers. It's not easy to accept that our perceived ability to manage may well have been a facade for gross unmanageability and excessive control! Our attempts to handle the lives of too many people may have been our way of denying that other people had problems that were theirs to fix.

Help for solving problems comes wrapped in many dressings. Seeking help doesn't mean we have to let someone else force us to do something against our will. It does prove we're growing. We're learning that two heads are generally better than one, and we're coming to believe that wherever "two or more are gathered" God's presence will guide us.

We no longer will have to handle our problems alone if we seek the steady, loving guidance of sponsors, friends, and God. The real gift is that we'll feel strong once again, and we'll know why.

I will feel strong and capable today if I am willing to listen to others and to God when I have a problem to solve.