The Power to Create Change

Challenge
The 11th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous encourages us to seek "… through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for the knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out." The focus for many of us falls on the dynamics of prayer and meditation and the great benefit of maintaining a fit spiritual condition. The path is clear. We are taught to pray. We learn to meditate with increasingly longer period of quiet. What more is there to learn from the 11th Step?

Reflection
The decision to live a life centered on service to God and our fellows creates a reliable spiritual foundation from which we can face the challenges as they come. Unfortunately we fall short of the spiritual goals that we have set for ourselves in our life in general and our romantic relationship in specific. The problem could be laziness, pride, gluttony or any number of other commonly understood defects of character. But, before you launch off on a complete rewrite of your 4th Step, consider this: The power to care out God’s will is available from God. The promise of God’s power is commonly overlooked in the practice of the 11th Step. Draw upon the power that God has promised in all of your effort to serve him and your fellows.

Prayer
God, help me to remember that you are a timeless source of power.

Amen.