Why Is This Happening To Me?

I have been dealing with some drama at my sober living house. Over the last several days, I have been accused of doing some things I didn't do...not doing some things I was supposed to do (and fined for it)...and having a wrong attitude about it all...which resulted in me being yelled at, treated poorly and questioned about my continuing to live here.

OMG

I have been talking to my sponsor, LIKE, five times a day.  My desire was to walk through this situation appropriately and figure out what the heck to do.  I decided (with the help of God and my sponsor) to MANAGE MY BEHAVIOR AND RESPONSES, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO MANAGE THE OUTCOME.

That's the kicker!  I always try to manage the outcome, which means me stepping in and letting everyone know why they are wrong...why I am right...and how we all need to act in order for the situation to be rectified.  FYI: people usually love it when I do that...about as much as I love it when it's done to me.  ...LIKE, NOT AT ALL!

Sooooooooo, in light of this new way of thinking, I held my tongue (after my first few insightful but vindictively nasty texts), looked at the areas where I might take responsibility, and sought to be the person I desire to be.

My sponsor likes to tell me to act like the leaf that floats on the water down the stream. If the leaf grabs ahold of the rock, it sinks or just stays where it is and doesn't move forward. I must lay back, rest and surrender to the flow of the water (insert God's Spirit in place of water, if you like).  The whole analogy annoys me, because it seems so passive.

However, I did it.  And you know what? Tonight the whole situation came out into the open. Without me even controlling the situation, I was completely vindicated. Several apologies were offered to me and I came out looking like the good guy.

More important than me being vindicated...AND THIS IS IMPORTANT...is that I was led through a process that resulted in my personal growth because of my willingness to surrender to God, accept the things that I cannot or should not change, and focus on who I am supposed to be.

In light of the outcome, I think I'll try this out again in similar situations.  Apparently, God has the inside scoop on outcomes...WHO KNEW?