Keep It Simple

Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal

Introduction

We, the authors of this book, believe a recovery program should be made up of meditation, prayer, and action. This book will try to help readers in each of these areas.

On each page you'll find three sections. The first section will be a quote followed by a few paragraphs on the spiritual message we have found within the quote. We suggest reading the quote and our thoughts on it; then take a few minutes and reflect on your own spiritual journey. How does this quote and our thoughts on the quote speak to your recovery program? Is your program where you want it to be? If so, take pride. If not, think about which of the Twelve Steps you need to work, and what action needs to be taken. We are firm believers that the Steps plus action will solve most problems.

Next on the page, you'll find a Prayer for the Day. We see prayer as an important action. Prayer is an act of reaching outside of yourself. Prayer is an act of asking for help in the task of being human. We suggest reading the Prayer for the Day, and if it fits for you, repeat it throughout the day. If it doesn't, take a few moments and come up with a personal prayer that fits for you. If none comes to mind, use the prayer suggested in Step Eleven, "Thy will be done." Remember, each day we are to turn our self-will over to our Higher Power. In doing so, we get the serenity the program promises.

Finally, you'll find a section named Action for the Day. Our illness was fed by a set of actions. Harmful, destructive actions. A recovery program is also about action. Daily spiritual action. Spiritual action helps us feel better about ourselves and safer in the world. In this section, you'll be asked to take action that is, we hope, made to strengthen your program. Again, if the action fits, do it. If not, think of one that fits for you.

Also in this book, you'll see that we use words like addict and addiction. As time changes, so does language. When we use these terms, we are speaking to both the alcoholic and the drug dependent person. We see no difference between the two. We believe both suffer from the same deadly disease. We ask you to see yourself in the pages, and not in any one word.

Recovery is a process of finding balance between mind, body, and soul. Hopefully, this book will help you find or strengthen this balance.

We thank you for letting us share a part of our spiritual journey with you. We wish you well on your spiritual journey. May you and your Higher Power have a wonderful relationship!

The Authors

January 1

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol . . .
—From Step One of Alcoholics Anonymous

In Step One, we accept our powerlessness over alcohol and other drugs. But we are powerless over many parts of life. We are powerless over other people. We are powerless over what our Higher Power has planned for us.|

Before recovery, we only believed in control. We tried to control everything. We fought against a basic truth, the truth that we are powerless over much of life.
When we accept this truth, we begin to see what power we do have. We have the power to make choices. When we're lonely, we have the power to reach out to others. We have the power to be honest or to lie. We have power over how we live our own lives.

Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, help me to know that it's You who is running my life. Help me to know that power comes from accepting I am powerless.

Action for the Day
I am powerless over much of life. Today I'll look to see how this is true. I'll look to see what I really have control over and what I don't.

January 2
. . . our lives had become unmanageable.
—Second half of Step One

The First Step tells us a lot about addiction. We were out of control. Our addiction was in control. Addiction managed everything. It managed our relationships. It managed how we behaved with our families. As Step One says, ". . . our lives had become unmanageable."

But we pretended we managed our lives. What a lie! Addiction ran our lives—not us. We weren't honest with ourselves. Our program heals us through self-honesty. We feel better just speaking the truth. We are becoming good people with spiritual values. Our spiritual journey has begun.

Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, I give You my life to manage. When I'm faced with a choice, I'll ask myself, "What would my Higher Power choose for me?"

Action for the Day
Today, I'll be honest with a friend about how unmanageable my life had become.

January 3

Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.
—Unknown

As we work Step One, we accept that alcohol and other drugs are poison to us. We accept our limits. This means we know that hanging around our drinking or using "buddies" can remind us of "the good old days." Hanging around "slippery places" means we could "slip" back into our old ways. This isn't testing our sobriety; it's being reckless with it.

So, let's accept our limits. Everybody has limits. When we know our limits, we protect our recovery against the people and places that pull us from our spiritual center. This is what true acceptance means.

Prayer for the Day
I pray for true acceptance. Higher Power, help me to stay away from slippery places. I will protect the gift You've given me.

Action for the Day
Today, I'll list the people and places that are risky for me to be around. I will share this list with my sponsor, my group, and my sober friends.

©2008. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Keep It Simple by Hazelden Meditations. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Hazelden Publishing, PO Box 176 , Center City, MN  55012-0176.