DUH?
If I were to sum up the next principle in one word, I would be tempted to use the word DUH! Really. I’m not trying to be sarcastic and I hope I’m not being arrogant. But this Principle 7 seems so obvious to me that I don’t know what else to say about it. It’s like how is this not on David Letterman’s TOP TEN list of how to live a fulfilling purposeful life? It’s the epitome of a no-brainer. Therefore the only appropriate word I could come up with is DUH.
Here it is, Principle 7. “Reserve a daily time with God, for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.” See what I mean? How, or maybe a better question would be Why would anybody not want to do that?
The corresponding step of the 12 steps is Step 11: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.”
There is a God, I am not him so why would I not reserve some time in my life (on a daily basis) for the One who created all that is or ever will be, me included. I need him, he doesn’t need me, I’m the one who screws up on a regular basis, gets in messes and needs help. If he created all this then he knows how it all works, so why in the world would I not go to him for answers for help for strength that I do not have?
The Bible is the instruction manual and prayer is how we can communicate with the God of the universe, so it only stands to reason that I should probably carve out a portion of my day on fairly regular basis to be with God. Ya think?
This is the Principle by which the people of CR maintain momentum in their recovery and it charts the course for the rest of their lives. It is absolutely essential to grow in our knowledge of God and his will for our lives and to gain the power to follow his will. We cannot do it on our own. It is impossible to live for God without God.
I don’t know what else to say about this, I mean if there is a God, if he created all that is or ever will be, including me. Then he knows how I work and he has left me with a love letter through which I can discover more of him every day, he will talk with me intimately, he will share his dream for my life, the thing he created me for and he will empower me to accomplish that purpose.
Celebrating Recovery with you!
Jim & Pam