Recovery is about progress, not perfection. Beware of overly high expectations. They can look good, but turn deadly.
George Elliot wrote, “Nothing is so good as it seems beforehand.”
The Bible says, “I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).
Peter Bregman warns about high expectations. He writes, “High expectations can have a positive effect; people need a high bar to stretch toward. But I think many of us take it too far. We slip so easily into criticisms of ourselves and those around us. And when we shame ourselves for failing, we make things worse.”
Never make excuses for slips or relapses. But don’t expect to work your recovery program perfectly. Embrace this thing called grace.
Recovery Step: Set goals and shoot high in your recovery. But accept your imperfections along with God’s gift of grace.
