Thought for today:

Step Eleven encourage us to grow in understanding, knowledge and power.  It asks us to think about spiritual ideals with an open mind.  It asks us to listen for our answers and learn.

DA Step 11:

11. 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.

A member shares:

“I turn to my Higher Power to gather strength when I don’t feel strong.  I seek inspiration when I am sad.  I seek wisdom when I don’t know where to turn.

“My Higher Power speaks to me through other people and through nature.  When I set my mind to be open to the concept of a Power working through us all, I find the answers I need to hear.”

The path to growth:

It takes practice to pray with our Higher Power.  Some people humble themselves first by kneeling or bowing prayerfully. But our posture doesn’t matter as much as our willingness to humbly look outside ourselves.  And that can happen during a walk by the shoreline as easily as it can in a pew.

Listening for inspiration is one form of meditation.  Emptying our minds can also leave room for that inspiration.  We can use a focal point like a candle, a chant, a chime or a bell to set the stage for listening.  The point is, we seek an understanding from outside ourselves.

When we include our Higher Power in all aspects of life, we can grow in wisdom and love.  It improves our solvency and quality of time on this planet.

Ask:

“Am I including my Higher Power?”

Meditation for today:

As we allow ourselves to drift into a relaxed state of mind, feelings can begin to surface.  Each feeling asks for respectful acknowledgement in its own way.  Each has a life of its own.  Each can be released into the universe.  The joy of emptying ourselves remains.  We let go of grief.  We stop holding on to feelings that aren’t helpful today.

Affirmation for today:

“Today I will try to improve my understanding and connection with my Higher Power.”

Recommended reading:  

See our Fourth Step Template which helps us to take a fearless moral inventory.

Some members, with the help of their Pressure Relief Group, take a moratorium from debt payments in order to get their spending under control.  See this Debt Moratorium sample letter to creditors for one example.

For a detailed analysis of all the Twelve Steps, read Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

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