One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
In Al-Anon we often speak of the importance of prayer. This idea calls for some reflection. If I could get what I pray for, would it really make me happy? Do I always know what is best for me? Do I bargain with the God I pray to: “I want my spouse, but only if he or she will stop drinking”; or give Him instructions: “Please don’t let Bill keep on drinking!”
Today’s Reminder:
One thing must ultimately be accepted: few of us know what we really want, and none of us knows what is best for us. That knowledge remains, in spite of all our determined resistance, in the hands of God.
This is the reason for limiting our prayers to requests for guidance, an open mind to receive it, and the fortitude to act upon it.
I will quietly defer any decisions until my contact with God has made me certain they are right for me. And I will pray to be kept from taking any action, even a little one, that is intended to punish another.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
— General Epistle of James