Powerless Powerless, in the beginning the very word filled me with shame. It is not that I did not know I was powerless. In fact, I felt powerless over so many things. The word powerless had such a sting in it for me. It suggested my private weakness made public. My deepest fear that I was a silly weak woman and I did not measure up was now on displayed like a neon sign. An old timer assured me that it was a paradox and it would one day make sense. “You’ll understand that you gain power by admitting your powerlessness just as you get by giving,” she said but I did not understand. Today I understand. I do not know when or exactly how that changed for me. By going to meeting and working the steps one day I realized that I saw things differently. Today I am not ashamed to freely admit how powerless I am over so many things and to rely on the only real power there is the God of my understanding.  ¶ 4/02/2005 03:47:00 PM