#11 - The Principle of Spirituality

Understanding the Principle Of Spirituality from AA's twelve-step program of recovery is not as scary or complex as some may think it is. Principle 11 is tied closely to Step 11, which is "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 that out." For people in recovery who choose not to use the word "God", it can be a more holistic approach, focused on something greater that connects all beings and the entire universe.

For me, this step and principle are vital to success in sobriety! God plays an important role in my life. I've tried things my way and I've seen the results; then I've tried things God's way and it's not even comparable; having a relationship with God and a spiritual life is freedom and it has given me peace. It's funny to notice now, in retrospect, that things have always worked out, but when I've tried to do things my way, without God, I make it worse. Practicing the principle of spirituality means doing the next right thing- whether it's taking ownership, making amends, or being kind, caring, and supportive- when I trust in my morals, core values, and my spirituality, it all works out!

Prayer And Meditation: Making Conscious Contact

How I choose to make conscious contact with a higher power (that I choose to call "God") is very simple: it's through prayer and reading the Bible. To get the most deeply rooted in my spirituality I go to church, pray and meditate and find that the answers are written in the bible.

Prayer and meditation have always been big for me, and I've always had a really strong connection with God, even before getting sober. I was actually baptized in the Jordan River in Israel when I was 11! My dad was a church deacon, so from a very young age, I had a relationship and connection with God. My parents did a really good job of bringing spirituality into our lives in a very easygoing, agreeable way. They helped to instill very strong core values into our belief system. I've always had great experiences within the church and have formed many friendships there, and that has certainly shaped and molded a solid foundation that I am very grateful for.

It's not an unfamiliar story that during my teenage years I started to pull away from God. In my early teens, it was just being focused on things like popularity, wanting to be cool, wanting to be accepted, and living up to expectations that created a drift. Into my late teens and early 20's I really got disconnected and when I started to glorify the wrong things it all started to fall apart. It's not a shocker that when I started to use drugs and alcohol as a priority in my life that it made the separation away from spirituality even wider.

Interestingly, when I sobered up and got into a better headspace I found that my spiritual life was even deeper and that my bond with God was on a whole new level. I think that having had a relationship with God from such a young age helped me to be able to reconnect later on in life. I also think it's important that I am connected to a spiritual life daily and that I surround myself with people who have the same core belief system.

Principle eleven is really about developing, dedicating, and devoting time to spirituality -and what you put in, is what you get out of it. Whether it's good times or bad, having that established relationship with God helps. But I have found that it's especially during the hardest times that I have the most profound opportunity to grow. I like to say, "If God is the goal even the worst of times can be the best because that's when we are the closest with Him."

The principle of spirituality is a reminder that we all have challenging days but we can turn to prayer and meditation, asking God for guidance. There is a quality of being grounded and at peace in my life because I know that ' this too shall pass". When I pause and take a moment to look back and see that I have made it through the other side of a dark time and back into the light, I am reminded that with the connection to God and spirituality I have the courage, strength, and wisdom to get through anything- sober. Honestly, even people who are not addicts feel lost or broken sometimes, and can benefit from a relationship with God…. Let's put it this way: I've never met anybody whose life got worse by having a good relationship with God.

Slow Your Roll: Mindfulness & Spirituality

A great way to think of the principle of spirituality is that it's really a Mindfulness Practice. It's a way to slow your roll, have an awareness, openness, and willingness. Mindfulness gives you that Sunday kind of feeling- every day of the week.

There are plenty of things you can do to bring more mindfulness or spirituality to your life. For me it's synergistic: I like going to church, hearing the message, the fellowship, surrounding myself with people who have the same core values. I get to hear about their life stories, experiences and what they did to overcome and succeed, and to pray together. There's power in prayer- I don't care what your religion is- even if you believe in the clouds!

Another great way to practice mindfulness is ironically to get out of your head!

Get out of self! The #1 way to connect with spirituality is by getting out of your Ego. Go be of service- it could be in or out of the rooms of alcoholics anonymous or a 12-step program.

Lastly, practice mindfulness by looking, listening, and being receptive to signs and signals from your higher power. It can be in nature, yoga, and exercise, taking a walk, playing instruments, even just sitting and focusing on your breath. The hustle and grind can take us away from God at times, and when we are too preoccupied or distracted that's usually when things start to unravel. To get connected to spirituality, to hear those messages from your higher power, you need to instill the habit of daily mindfulness. If you're not seeing signs from God, you're going too fast!!

The fact that I'm writing this on a Sunday is perhaps no coincidence, but in the end, practicing the principle of spirituality is about finding something bigger than you that you can trust and turn your life over to. I'm not here to tell you what it should be; I can only share what it means to me.

And if you only feel up to taking a tiny spiritual step today, let that be for a moment where you pause and say one simple prayer:

“THANK YOU”.

View Principle 10: Perseverance ➞

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