Motivation Mondays

3/25/19
TWELVE STEP SERIES

Weekly Focal Point

“As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves that we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day ‘Thy will be done’.”

~ Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 87-88 ~

Twelve Step Series

Step Eleven: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

We sought to understand more clearly the part our own attitude played in determining what happened to us in our everyday life. How did we do this? Through prayer and meditation. These were the means by which we learned to use our spiritual resources in solving our difficulties and making decisions, big and small. When we tried to find solutions in a purely analytical way by what we thought of as “figuring things out” the results were apt to be disappointing. We needed the help of a wisdom greater than our own. The purpose of prayer and meditation was to improve our conscious contact with the God of our own understanding. Here the key word was ‘conscious’. It meant making ourselves deeply, vividly aware of the Higher Power that has such a vital place in our lives. Step Eleven confirmed that prayer was asking only for the ‘knowledge of His will for us’, not what we wanted or felt we deserved.

(Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, pg. 67-68)

3 C’s of Al-Anon

  1. We didn’t CAUSE it
  2. We can’t CONTROL it
  3. We can’t CURE it

AND WE WON’T CONTRIBUTE TO IT TODAY

Considerations for the Week

  1. Have I been successful and had peace in my life when attempting to figure things out on my own? Would I be willing to utilize prayer and meditation in an effort to seek wisdom from a power greater than myself?
  2. What role have I allowed the God of my understanding to play in my life? Is there perhaps a more effective way for me to access power in my life through prayer and meditation?
  3. Is my spirit awake to the influence that my Creator has in my life currently? What other actions can I take this week to be more observant of the direction, guidance and care that my Higher Power continues to offer me?