Al-Anon daily reflection ·
Praying for Desire
We ask our Higher Power to increase our desire to do what is good for us and to diminish the desire to do what isn’t.
Sometimes I don't want to do God's will. I want to be angry. I want to seek revenge. I want to eat the whole cake. I know what is 'good' for me, but the defect offers a payoff I'm not ready to give up. In the past, I would try to white-knuckle my way into goodness, which never worked.
Step Eleven offers a brilliant solution: I can pray for the desire to change. I don't have to lie and say I'm ready when I'm not. I can say, 'God, I really want to control this situation right now. Please change my want.' This honesty breaks the deadlock. It acknowledges my powerlessness over even my own desires. Asking to have the healthy desires increased is a gentle way to shift my heart when my head knows better but my gut is resisting.
Practice
I can identify a bad habit or defect I am clinging to. I will not promise to stop it today. Instead, I will pray: 'Please help me want to let this go. Please make the healthy path look more attractive to me than this old path.'
Today’s Reminder
I can pray for the willingness to be willing.
