How many of us forget to charge our phones or devices daily? We rely on them for everything from business to our most intimate relationships. We know they do not work if they are not powered up. And so, it is with us. Why would I not avail myself of the help my Higher Power willingly offers me? The eleventh step in Al-anon says, “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.” In that spirit, after working the previous ten steps, I seek daily to be powered up in Him.
Having tried for decades to do it on my own, I made quite a mess of my life. I said I believed in God, but I chose to manage the details of my life and give Him more lip service than surrender. That is NOT living with a “knowledge of His will for us (me).
What does seeking his will first look like? For me, it is those first moments after I open my eyes. I know myself too well, I know how easily my mind can get sucked into thoughts that do not serve me well moving forward—old patterns of thought when living in survival mode. So, for me, the most important moments I can spend at the beginning of my day are aligning myself with him. Then my Higher Power can reveal to me what is best for today. It could look like choosing to get the rest I need. Taking a spin on my bike, connect with a soul friend, read a book, or journal, make a commitment to eat well and make an amend for something that has been on my mind. These are all ways that I can walk out His will for me. If I am plugged in and listening, I will know what choice to make. And if I am praying to live in His will and move forward with a choice in the right frame of heart and mind, I cannot really mess up what He has for me.
We live in a time that celebrates the epic moments—the mountaintop experiences. Highlight reels are the culture of today. I suggest that the beauty in a life well-lived is in the small choices we make to live a surrendered life daily. There is so much beauty in the (seemingly) mundane. The lighter of my children. Work well done. The sunrise. The quiet of coffee and prayer in the morning. The gift of friendship when the laundry pile is high, the pantry is needing replenishing, and I welcome a friend’s encouragement that we can do this and all the other things that come our way—one thing at a time.
As a part of this spiritual awakening, instead of seeing every day as this grind of challenging work, I have regained a sense of perspective that allows me to see each moment as a gift. To quote Jim Wallace, “In every moment, something sacred at stake.” May we be so inclined to seek His will first that our lives become a reflection of the joy and peace he desires for us. It is not about how much time we have had in the program of recovery; it is about how willing I am to use the tools. That is where my life becomes transformed.
