“As despair grows into darkness, I can turn to the countless miracles & blessings that have filled my life, and turn to my God to give thanks, and to ask that I see His light.”

Three readings. A song that says the rest. And inspiration for whatever this day is here to teach.

A lone surfer riding inside a great curling wave

Read — the readings that opened the day

The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living

Thomas Keating

Prayer can be expressed in words, thoughts, or acts of the will. Fundamentally, it is a movement of our spiritual nature; that is, of our intellect beyond thoughts and of our will beyond particular acts — at least beyond explicit acts. This movement toward God can be extremely subtle and delicate. The more simple it is, the more effective it is. It can be a wordless turning or opening of our awareness to God, whom we know is present. We do not have to conceptualize how He is present, because we really do not know. In Faith, we can move forward.

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Hazelden Foundation

Take your sufferings, difficulties, and hardships and make use of them to help some unfortunate soul who is faced with the same troubles. Then something good will come out of your suffering and the world will be a better place because of it. The good you do each day will live on, after the trouble and distress have gone, after the difficulty and the pain have passed away. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may make good use of my mistakes and failures. I pray that some good may result from my painful experiences.

Reflect — Steve L.'s own words

Today’s readings about prayer, difficulties and despair made me reflect back to when I first came into the rooms of recovery. I had no idea of what to expect, but I was at the bottom. Filled with darkness & despair, I had been praying to a God I didn’t have a relationship with. It was the shortest straw in the deck; I had used all of the other ones. The simple act of walking into the rooms, getting a 24 Hour Chip, and being in the presence of others in recovery brought me hope. And It’s been happening ever since; like our literature says, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

Today, facing challenges of living life on life’s terms with adult kids, grandkids and my partner Gail, I get sidetracked into believing I have the power. Or, that there is no power. As despair grows into darkness, I can turn to the countless miracles & blessings that have filled my life, and turn to my God to give thanks, and to ask that I see His light.

I’ve come to believe that the Eternal Light above the Torahs in every synagogue in the world is an example of the Eternal light in each of our souls; a symbol of His Love, forgiveness & Grace deep within everyone.

Thank you for the Spark of Life that is rekindled with every prayer and action; that I may be a light for others in the often dark patches on the path of life.