Quiet time
“Many of us have found that setting aside quiet time for ourselves is
helpful in making conscious contact with our Higher Power.”
~ Basic Text, p. 95
Most of us pay lip-service to the value of conscious contact with a
Higher Power. Yet how many of us consistently take time to improve
that conscious contact? If we’ve not already established a regular
regimen of prayer and meditation, today is the day to start one.
A “quiet time” need not be long. Many of us find that twenty to
thirty minutes is enough time to quiet ourselves, focus our attention
with a spiritual reading, share our thoughts and concerns in prayer,
and take a few moments to listen for an answer in meditation. Our
“quiet time” need not be lengthy to be effective, provided it is
consistent. Twenty minutes taken once a month to pray will probably
do little but frustrate us with the poor quality of our conscious
contact. Twenty minutes taken regularly each day, however, renews and
reinforces an already lively contact with our Higher Power.
In the hustle and bustle of the recovering addict’s day, many of us
end up going from morning to night without taking time out to improve
our conscious contact with the God we’ve come to understand. However,
if we set aside a particular time of the day, every day, as “quiet
time,” we can be sure that our conscious contact will improve
Just for today: I will set aside a few moments, once I finish reading
today’s entry, to pray and meditate. This will be the beginning of a
new pattern for my recovery.
(Copyright © 1991-2009 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services )
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"Egomaniacs"
Alcoholics have been described as being "egomaniacs with inferiority
complexes." The 12 & 12 refers to one study of alcoholics that showed
them to still be "childish, emotionally sensitive, and grandiose."
(Twleve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 123). Most of us will, at
least in private, sheepishly agree that there might be some truth to
those statements.
Thoughts
How can we be rid of such character defects? Who will help us?
(July 3)
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