“When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.” – Confucius, as quoted from For Today, November 3rd
I don’t really think there is fear around letting go of character defects—it’s more about being so ‘good’ at them. I practiced a certain behavior for most of my 43 prior-OA years, and have only been working on being different for 26. Guess what I’m better at?
Thank God, my abstinence is well anchored, because I sure had a lot of practice turning to food for life-support. Even when it no longer worked, I still tried over and over to change circumstances by eating. I knew it didn’t work, yet I kept doing it.
So why would I expect my character defect to be different? It is a process, brought about by wanting to be of use to God and those He puts in my life, rather than constant self-focus. That is the intended results of taking the Steps—change for the better, starting with my eating and then continuing with improving my character.
Rather than be discouraged, I’m grateful for any improvement. I never turn to food, which is a good thing, and with God’s help and continued step-work, the defects will melt back into assets with time.
Today, there is something pressing that I must finish. I’ve been procrastinating, because it seems so monumental. I know from the past that once I dig in, it’ll not be the huge mountain that my mind plays it out to be, but I just haven’t been able to get it started.
So it looks like procrastination is the character defect of the day. I’ve prayed that God removes it, and now I must take action. God’s not going to write it for me. Simple, but not always easy.
-Gerry H
New Beginnings – Central Florida Intergroup – Newsletter July 2025
Did you enjoy this article? We would encourage our members to use this post, and others like it, at their meetings, or for private reflection. We also encourage you to share this post to other fellows to help the compulsive eater who still suffers. Please let us know if you have an idea for an article or an upcoming theme, or have any questions or suggestions. Email our editorial staff at [email protected].
The experience, strength, and hope expressed in this article, reflect the individual OA members and does not represent OA as a whole. Other OA groups and service bodies are welcome to reprint articles from Experience, Strength & Hope Newsletter without permission. When reprinting from other OA newsletters, be sure to credit the source.
