“Prayer is not about changing God,
but being willing to let God change us.” —Richard Rohr
I have been sober for nearly 13 months
and, like most people in their first year of sobriety, I experienced
an extraordinary spiritual awakening. Early in recovery, I recall
telling my sponsor I had undergone my spiritual Aha! moment.
What a joke. Leave it to a real alcoholic like myself to believe I
had it all figured out before Step 1 was ever even completed.
In reality, the awakening did not occur
at a particular time; instead, it evolved into something wonderful as
time passed. I learned and lived the steps. The dark cloud began to
fade; the desire to drink diminished over time; and the well-known
term ‘easy does it’ started to make perfect sense. Indeed, it was
an awakening: my spirit woke up from a long winter’s nap.
Step 11 in the Big Book says we sought
through prayer and meditation to improve our communication with God.
We ask for knowledge of His will and the power to execute it. While
the Eleventh Step is a beautiful way of life, I believe it is often
overlooked for the sheer magnitude of its meaning. Words like
‘prayer,’ ‘meditation,’ ‘knowledge of His will,’ and the
‘power to carry that out’ are overwhelming, especially to the
alcoholic who has been spiritually dead.
Through daily prayer and pause, God’s
whispers are loud and clear. I hear His words and witness His work
throughout the day, but I must maintain a grateful heart to receive
such blessings. If you’re having difficulty with Step 11, I
encourage you to be honest with God. Ask Him to change the desires of
your heart so they are in line with His. And, listen closely. You’ll
hear Him in the words of a stranger, through the kindness of a friend
or in the beauty that surrounds you.
According to page 87 in the Big Book,
“We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we
be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be
given whatever we need to take care of such problems.” The Eleventh
Step is really that simple. Put one foot in front of the other—He’ll
take care of the rest.
Alison Broderick is a freelance
writer who is passionate about carrying the message of recovery to
those suffering from the disease of addiction. She lives in Marietta,
Georgia with her husband and two boys, ages 8 and 6, and devotes much
of her time to MARR—a
non-profit recovery center in Atlanta that provides lasting treatment
through gender-specific programs and therapeutic community.
