[nandm]

Day 7

Prayers

"No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of the night." St Francis of Assisi

In Step Eleven it is helpful to review a portion of the prayer of St. Francis, and understand how aptly it reflects what we learned in the preceding steps:

"Where There is Error, I May Bring Truth"

Step Nine taught us that the very act of making amends to others involved an honest admission of our evasions and untruths. Now in working Step Eleven we ask for the power to carry out those principles which are more in keeping with God's will for us.

"Where There is Doubt, I May Bring Faith"

Step Three was the crucial turning point for us to release self-will and trust that there was a power greater than ourselves. Step Eleven reinforces this trust as we willingly let that Higher Power guide us through the maze of recovery.

"Where There is Despair, I May Bring Hope."

Each of the steps we have taken has reduced our feelings of unworthiness and shame. We had despaired of ever being right with our world again. But we found that as we admitted and accepted our problem; released self-will; trusted our Higher Power; made reparation for misdeeds; continued to monitor our progress and sincerely adopted the practice of prayer and meditation, we had entered into the very essence of Step Eleven.

Today's Step: My prayers act as guidelines that allow me to be of help to others.

Step by Step. Muriel Zink