<\/p>\n
How we receive love is where our flaws come into play.<\/b><\/p>\n
Step Guide, Step Six, \u201cOur Character Defects\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Before we came to the NA Fellowship, we had a distorted sense of both giving and receiving love. Now that we are clean, we understand all about love . . . if only it were true! It doesn\u2019t matter how long we have been clean (or what kind of love we are talking about)\u2014love is a serious matter that requires vigilance.<\/p>\n
Where and how do we addicts look for love? When we write our inventories and listen to those of our supporters, this question is adequately answered. We hear many stories of unfulfilled expectations, abandonment by parents and partners, abuse and neglect. Others are of relationships sought, obtained and maintained through manipulation and passive-aggressive behaviours \u2013 and sometimes through compulsive acts. We hear of love being confused with the exchange of sex, money and, of course, drugs.<\/p>\n
We have done these things to others, and others have done them to us. And many of these behaviors will appear in future censuses, because our character flaws will rear their heads again. The difference is that in NA we have the opportunity to seek and express love in ways that express our strengths rather than our flaws.<\/p>\n
In NA, we have the opportunity to experience the unconditional love of the Fellowship. We learn how to love and care for people in the rooms, as we learn how to receive the same love and care from others. We will also have ample opportunities outside the rooms to practice the principles of love. Through honest and thorough work of the Steps, we are much less likely to try to manipulate and control others \u2013 or to allow ourselves to be manipulated and controlled.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I am learning new ways to give and receive love. I no longer have to act on my flaws to experience love. Today I will strive to love those in my life with acceptance rather than expectations.<\/b><\/p>","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-11910","spad","type-spad","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.na-greece.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/spad\/11910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.na-greece.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/spad"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.na-greece.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/spad"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.na-greece.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}