Step Eleven

"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our concious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

     Taken from The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions pg96

I've been taught that prayer is the asking and meditation is the listening.  There are times when this comes much easier than others.  I have one of those brains where the hamster wheel turns regardless of weather the hamster is on it or not.  Work is very busy and it sometimes takes a bit for my brain to slow down.  This step is one that I need to get better at.  There have been times where I set aside 15min to say a little prayer and then meditate on that prayer.  For me that is basically just letting my mind relax and settle in on what the prayer is focused on.  However I don't do that regularly enough.  What I find is that I am often reminded throughout the day that there is a Power greater than myself that is in control of everything.  Sometimes I need to stop and focus on that so that I can accept what is happening instead of just reacting to it. This may sound kind of screwy but it has helped me over the years so I will share it with you.  Throughout the day we are given moments by ourselves.  Learning to make the best of these moments has taken some practice but it has been well worth it.  During these times I find myself sitting down with no phone to answer, I generally don't talk to anybody and I find that I am pretty relaxed.  Where do these moments happen?  On the toilet.  I look at these times as Gods way of giving us a break from the craziness of the day.  So for those that think they have no time to stop and pray or meditate you may want to look again.  Are there other times that may be available?

When I was drinking and drugging my thoughts were constantly related to getting my next fix.  Where it was coming from, who was it going to be with, do I have enough money, will my wife find out etc.  Today I find myself thinking about God and how I do or don't understand Him.  I spend more time being grateful for my life rather than worrying about paying bills, cutting grass doing dishes cooking dinner or whatever else it may be.  Do I still have to take care of these responsibilities? Yes.  The main difference being that I can be grateful to be able to do them instead of feeling sorry for myself because I have to do them.  Have a great day!!!!

[ang_811]

thanks jeff...i enjoy this one. thanks for explaining the difference between prayer and meditation.  i really l ike how u said prayer is the asking and meditation is the listening. i like that..thanks again....ur freind, <3 Angie

[FassFeat]

Thanks for the post Punkinhead. Thanks for sharing. I love these posts, every time.