July 11

PATIENCE MONTH: DAY 11: “The greatest prayer is patience.” – Buddha

When I fully practice Patience, I am able to completely let go of my agenda and let the Universe operate without my interference. This has come, more and more frequently through the years of this practice. I did not get here with the ability to sit still and allow life to unfold.

We are funny people; lazy beyond measure when it comes to spiritual practices, but impatient as hell for the outcomes of what little work we actually perform. Most of us can remember a time, in very early recovery, when we thought we had “arrived”, only to be told by sponsors or other old-timers that we had a very long way to go.

A lot of relapse happens around this. There is always deeper spiritual practice needed than where we are at this moment. There is always deeper acceptance, deeper trust in the Universal Power, deeper understanding of just exactly what our ego is up to today, so much MORE.

Patience allows us to be just where we are, doing what we are doing, without needing to be somehow winning or beating others to some imagined or self-created goal.

There is nowhere to go, and no time frame in which to achieve anything. The best we get to do is BE HERE NOW… a very challenging thing to do for addicts.

There is no “There” to get to. This is really challenging, isn’t it? I want to “arrive” fully developed in all aspects of spiritual growth… yeah, right!

I do not “pray” for anything, except the prayer that is included in Step 11. I pray only for knowledge of “His” will for me and the power to carry it out. I think that is all I need to do.

This is disappointing for those who want me to pray for them to get a job, get well, get anything, get sober, etc. I don’t pray for that for myself or for anyone. I must focus on practicing acceptance and patience. When I do, life unfolds just the way it is supposed to and all is well, or at least acceptable to me, because I have been practicing for that outcome.

I do not ever know what is going to happen next. Life is just one surprising thing after another…and I have learned to love and embrace that, even when it is not what I am dressed for. (I used to wish I could get a daily printout of coming events so I could have the right shoes on!) Never happened, I have learned to carry an extra pair or two, just in case. OH!

So, I do what is in front of me and leave all the results to the great unfolding of the Universal Power and work to accept outcomes that are none of my business anyway. Most of the time, I am successful at accepting them. Once in a while, I have some more practice to do. That is all, so simple. Love it!

And Patience IS the greatest prayer. Because I am sitting with all possible outcomes and staying the hell out of the way! Woohoo! Leaves a lot more time to do fun stuff!