Step 11 : Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out.:"
Paths to recovery page 110
" The relationship we have with the God of our understanding, compared to when we first walked through the doors of Al-Anon is now more powerful as a result of the experience of working the steps one through 10. Step 11 introduces a new action, the action is seeking through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God"
My Share
this is indeed a powerful step and one that I embraced early in program before I had worked 4 through 10. I noted that in this step we strive to improve our contact with God and stopped praying for my will to be done but began to pray that God's will be done. I was able to do this because ,I also found in this step, that if I am asked to do God's will, I will be given the power to carry it out. What a revelation that was. From childhood on I was under the misconception that God would give the series of commands for me to follow and then sit back and watch and see if I succeeded. I've been living with this belief for many years. I then naturally had to know all the answers, not make any mistakes and be perfect. I didn't know that these weremy hidden drivers until I worked the fourth and fifth step. It was much easier to trust a HP when I believed that with this simple faith I would be given the power to accomplish HP's will.
Conscious contact is another big goal of this step. I found that I had to truly keep the focus on myself, sit in a quiet place, breathe deeply and focus my mind on one word. I chose the word "courage". Any time a stray thought would come in, I would dismiss it and repeat my mantra. In the beginning I could only do this meditation technique for 10 minutes at a time. I now can do at least 30 minutes and feel renewed each time. I now hear the still small voice within, easily and I respond with confidence.
Step 11 questions
am I willing to try prayer and meditation today?
What can I do to add prayer and meditation to my life today?
Do I have a special time and place to pray? What can I do to create one
How have I been mistaken about God's will ? How has my self-will caused me difficulty?
How am I willing to be guided today?
grateful2be said
Jul 21, 2014
Step 11 is my favorite step. It gives me comfort and a sense of security. In asking only for knowledge of God's will and the power to carry it out daily, I trust that my prayer will be heard and that I will do what is mine to do at some time during my day. When I am seeking my own will and my own way, I don't experience inner peace. When I am sincerely seeking God's will for my life, I can notice a sense of calm underneath the very human emotions and feelings that happen in me throughout my day. If I'm uncertain of what is God's will for me in a particular situation oftentimes I am given clarity either through my thoughts or something someone says outside of me and I know the next step to take or not take. When I'm not sure of myself or feeling down or scared about something, I can focus on this Step and relax.
hotrod said
Jul 21, 2014
Thank You Catherine I appreciate your wisdom and sincerity in practicing this Step.
I am pleased to be sharing the joureny with you.
ilovedogs said
Jul 21, 2014
It's funny that this came up today for me because I've been really working this step, trying to make it a daily part of my day instead of just doing it whenever and wherever or when I was in crisis. Just this past week I've been journaling my prayers to God and spending scheduled time in prayer every day (usually in the shower and when I'm falling asleep at night).
I plan to work through the questions presented here over the next week. Thank you for posting this!
hotrod said
Jul 21, 2014
ILD I appreciate your taking the time to share with such honesty and clarity.You are working a strong program
pp said
Jul 21, 2014
As I read this step this morning, I was struck by a few things. The first is the freedom the step gives me to be in a relationship to the God of my understanding, which has shifted and deepened through al anon. The second is the simplicity of the process. Praying for the knowledge of Gods will for us, which is always benevolent, and the power to carry it out, is simple and difficult. This is where the other steps come in. I am discovering how to surrender, have faith and trust, not in a throw caution to the wind sort of thing. I have experienced the difference between that impulsive way of being and proceeding in a quiet, sure footed, trusting way. I am different in my approaches, as I have embraced the contemplative side of me, now. This is the power that has been given to me, the power to be as true to Me as I know Me in the present time. That Me will continue to evolve as I have surrender, faith and trust in the God of my understanding.
hotrod said
Jul 21, 2014
Dear Paula Thank you for your clarity and insight. It is certainly a pleasure to know the"Me" that you have uncovered and share. I am glad that you are sharing the journey.
DavidG said
Jul 26, 2014
Hmmm I did not want to go onto step 12 unprepared...
taking a pulse in recovery is not a bad thing... by now getting things straight might be second nature...
...this was a big weekend- where we buried my m~i~l... her request was thaT I sing 'Danny Boy' at her graveside... I did that... have bin in the local choir, and had some good tips... so I managed, with help, to do her proud.
Accepting help and encouragement from others was really hard, if not impossible for me...
...getting there is more than half the battle... staying here, is a pleasure... to thanks heaps Betty, and y'all...
hotrod said
Jul 26, 2014
Dear David,
Thank you so much for sharing. I am so very sorry to read of the loss of your MIL.as I do remember that it happend on your recent trip to the States. On that trip, it was my pleasure to connect with you in the Big Apple and share a meeting.
On my recent trip to Ireland, I requested that an Irish street singer sing "Danny Boy" for me, He did a lovely job. It was my Mom and Dad's favorite. It is a difficult song to sing and I am so happy you were able to sing it at the service.
Step 11 : Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out.:"
Paths to recovery page 110
" The relationship we have with the God of our understanding, compared to when we first walked through the doors of Al-Anon is now more powerful as a result of the experience of working the steps one through 10. Step 11 introduces a new action, the action is seeking through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God"
My Share
this is indeed a powerful step and one that I embraced early in program before I had worked 4 through 10. I noted that in this step we strive to improve our contact with God and stopped praying for my will to be done but began to pray that God's will be done. I was able to do this because ,I also found in this step, that if I am asked to do God's will, I will be given the power to carry it out. What a revelation that was. From childhood on I was under the misconception that God would give the series of commands for me to follow and then sit back and watch and see if I succeeded. I've been living with this belief for many years. I then naturally had to know all the answers, not make any mistakes and be perfect. I didn't know that these weremy hidden drivers until I worked the fourth and fifth step. It was much easier to trust a HP when I believed that with this simple faith I would be given the power to accomplish HP's will.
Conscious contact is another big goal of this step. I found that I had to truly keep the focus on myself, sit in a quiet place, breathe deeply and focus my mind on one word. I chose the word "courage". Any time a stray thought would come in, I would dismiss it and repeat my mantra. In the beginning I could only do this meditation technique for 10 minutes at a time. I now can do at least 30 minutes and feel renewed each time. I now hear the still small voice within, easily and I respond with confidence.
Step 11 questions
am I willing to try prayer and meditation today?
What can I do to add prayer and meditation to my life today?
Do I have a special time and place to pray? What can I do to create one
How have I been mistaken about God's will ? How has my self-will caused me difficulty?
How am I willing to be guided today?
I am pleased to be sharing the joureny with you.
I plan to work through the questions presented here over the next week. Thank you for posting this!
ILD I appreciate your taking the time to share with such honesty and clarity.You are working a strong program
As I read this step this morning, I was struck by a few things. The first is the freedom the step gives me to be in a relationship to the God of my understanding, which has shifted and deepened through al anon. The second is the simplicity of the process. Praying for the knowledge of Gods will for us, which is always benevolent, and the power to carry it out, is simple and difficult. This is where the other steps come in. I am discovering how to surrender, have faith and trust, not in a throw caution to the wind sort of thing. I have experienced the difference between that impulsive way of being and proceeding in a quiet, sure footed, trusting way. I am different in my approaches, as I have embraced the contemplative side of me, now. This is the power that has been given to me, the power to be as true to Me as I know Me in the present time. That Me will continue to evolve as I have surrender, faith and trust in the God of my understanding.
Hmmm I did not want to go onto step 12 unprepared...
taking a pulse in recovery is not a bad thing... by now getting things straight might be second nature...
...this was a big weekend- where we buried my m~i~l... her request was thaT I sing 'Danny Boy' at her graveside... I did that... have bin in the local choir, and had some good tips... so I managed, with help, to do her proud.
Accepting help and encouragement from others was really hard, if not impossible for me...
...getting there is more than half the battle... staying here, is a pleasure... to thanks heaps Betty, and y'all...
Thank you so much for sharing. I am so very sorry to read of the loss of your MIL.as I do remember that it happend on your recent trip to the States. On that trip, it was my pleasure to connect with you in the Big Apple and share a meeting.
On my recent trip to Ireland, I requested that an Irish street singer sing "Danny Boy" for me, He did a lovely job. It was my Mom and Dad's favorite. It is a difficult song to sing and I am so happy you were able to sing it at the service.