[bluidkiti]

May 22

Wisdom for Today

Doubt can be a real stumbling block for those in recovery. Doubt for me was the absence of faith in a Power Greater; and even in myself. I did not trust my own decisions, and I had plenty of reason not to trust myself. Doubting that "God could and would if He were sought," was a another matter entirely. I had grown up in a very religious family and had even had some spiritual experiences as a teenager before my addiction got out of hand, but as an adult I really had no true belief that a Power Greater than myself would indeed help me. Why would God want to help me after all that I had done? Certainly I was not worth His time or energy. Even if He wanted to help me, I was not certain that He could. This doubt kept me frozen in my recovery.
But God, being more powerful than I can even begin to describe, thought differently than I did. He brought sunshine into my life and thawed the frozen wasteland of my life. I listened to others talk in meetings over and over again about how the program had changed them. I could tell from their stories that they were not just saying this but really meant it. I began to develop a feeble sense of hope that maybe, just maybe, God could work for me. Over time that feeble hope has grown, and now I have no doubt in my mind or my heart that God has done things for me that I could not do for myself. Over time I had heard hundreds and hundreds of stories like mine. When this many people all say that reliance on a Power outside of themselves works, it is hard to doubt the presence of a spiritual and loving God working in our lives. What am I relying on today?

Meditations for the Heart

"Behold, I make all things new." These are words found in the Bible. Regardless of your religious background, these words do describe what God can and will do for each and everyone of us, if we only believe. Breaking down all the barriers to believing in a Power Greater, a Divine Presence, a Spiritual Guide, or whatever you wish to call Him, can be difficult to do with a closed mind. In recovery we are asked to open our minds and our hearts to this possibility. I can be made new. We are not asked to believe that we can make ourselves new, as we have all tried and failed in our attempts to do this. We learn that recovery is a gift that we can receive if we only ask for His help. What has surprised me is that I continue to be made new again and again through working the steps in my life. I guess that by now this shouldn't surprise me, but it still does. Recovery is about becoming new in all that we do. Do I use these principles of faith and ask for help each day?

Petitions to my Higher Power

God,
You ask nothing of me other than faith and obedience. These are the steps I am to follow to be made new, yet to trust and obey, I need Your presence and help. Help me to always rely on You for direction and give me a willing heart to accomplish what You desire of me. Help me this day to continue to grow in my faith, and lead me to a path of newness of life.
Amen