December 2, 2021
Prayer and meditation mean a lot to me. I try to do one or both on a regular basis. Recovery principles also mean a lot to me. (Did you know that I have a certificate in Alcohol and Drug Addiction, certified by the state of Illinois?) Helping people in recovery and their loved ones is also important to me.
When I came to the word “Gratitude,” the first thought that came to me was the program of recovery. It is so natural for people in recovery to be grateful – grateful for sobriety, yes. That is the first and primary thing! But after that sober realization, the person’s eyes are opened and all of life opens up. Life becomes possible to live again.
Looking at “Daily Reflections,” a daily meditation book from the Alcoholics Anonymous Foundation, I was struck by the reading for March 25th – “I am grateful not only for sobriety, but for the quality of life my sobriety has brought.” [1] Gratitude is truly a blessing, where peace and contentment become a blessed possibility for grateful people. That gratitude is so often a blessing from a Higher Power.
Yes, gratitude is wonderful for anyone in the recovery program. More than that, did you realize that gratitude is helpful for anyone? So many have negative behaviors, thinking and attitudes in their lives, minds and spirits. Relapse is simply going back to a behavior, way of thinking, habit or speech that you wish to leave behind. Gratitude is a excellent tool to help prevent relapse. Gratitude promotes freedom from relapse to addictive behaviors, negative thinking, harmful habits, hurtful way of speech, or whatever it is that you want to jettison.
How can we be grateful? you may ask. A simple way to start is by writing down a list of things you are grateful for. (And, once you start, you may not be able to stop!) If a whole long list is too daunting, why don’t you try for three things? What are you grateful for, today? Write down those three things, and then tomorrow you can add three more.
Try to stop the negativity tapes that play on “repeat” in your head. Focus on those positive things, and be sure to say “thank You” to God for them. Yes, I’ve kept gratitude lists, even through dark times and difficult patches in my life. These lists can be a lifesaver.
That is all, one gratitude at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time.
Dear Lord, gracious God, I thank You for this excellent reminder to be grateful, today. And, with today’s meditation from Daily Reflections, I pray that we all may be richly blessed from You, so blessed we will overflow with gratitude, each day. One day at a time. Amen.
Thanks to the website www.contemplativemind.org for their excellent image the Tree of Contemplative Practices.
(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: www.pastorpreacherprayer.com, matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and A Year of Being Kind . Thanks! )
[1] Daily Reflections (Alcoholics Anonymous Foundation, United States of America: 1990), 93.
Pastor, Preacher, Pray-er Journal 