Wisdom For Today - 5/15

[Kymberly]

Wisdom for Today


For the atheist or agnostic, the program can be a hard pill to swallow. All the talk of God, a Power Greater, and spirituality can make involvement with a twelve-step program very difficult. But the reality is that all addicts and alcoholics must find a Power outside of ourselves if we want to recover. Our own power does not work. We have tried and tried our way, and it does not work. We lack the power needed to overcome our compulsion to drink and use. To continue on a path of self-reliance means certain disaster. This dilemma of choosing between self-reliance and a Power Greater is difficult but not impossible.


The simple fact is this:

All of us have already turned our will and our life over to a power outside of our self. We all have turned our lives over to alcohol or drugs. Each of us have had the experience of doing things against our own wishes when we were drinking or using drugs. For some of us we have turned our life over to a Judge and jury. Some of us have turned our lives over to a hospital or institution. These powers did not stop us from drinking or using. They may have been a temporary fix, but soon we were right back at it. We must find the Power Greater that works. It is a tough choice for many, but it is a choice that leads us out of the insanity of addiction. This choice gives us a Power by which we can live. Have I found a Power Greater, by which I can live my life in recovery?

Meditations for the Heart

God’s grace is like sunshine for the soul. We all have walked through the storms of addiction; we searched for shelter from the ravages of this storm and found none. It was not until we found this grace that the sun shone in our lives again. Now we learn to walk in this new light, a light that was hidden from us behind the storm clouds. Although it was hidden, it was there all the time. We simply ask that this light be revealed to us. Only this Power outside of us can reveal this new light to us. It is not something that we can do for ourselves. It is only when we allow ourselves to be enveloped in this Divine sunshine that we can see beyond the darkness of addiction. Faith is the breathing in of this sunshine and holding it deep within. This sunshine does wonders for the soul. It brings healing to our brokenness. It shines brightly on the path that we must take in order to stay clean and sober. Have I found this sunshine in my life?

Petitions to my Higher Power

God,

None of us can truly come to You on our own. All I can do is ask that Your grace shine brightly in my life. I am ever grateful that You have given me new light in my life. Help those that struggle with finding You in the darkness that they may walk in this sunshine also. Let me begin my day in this new sunrise and walk the path that You have chosen for me.

Amen
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