Watch Your Mind

One of the first things many of us are suggested to do on a daily basis is to pray in the morning. To ask God to keep us sober. And then again at night—to thank Him for the day.

This can be an easy thing to turn our nose up at. Not because we don’t believe in doing it, although that’s sometimes the case, but because it seems so mundane, so juvenile.

Shouldn’t our prayer be more expansive? Shouldn’t we be focused on other things too?

The simplicity of the request, though, does much for our newly sober minds, whether we are young in our faith or have been praying all our lives.

It is a stark reminder of the basic premise of our dilemma—our best thinking got us into a world of trouble. And despite attempts of our own, we needed God’s intervention to make a sober beginning.

It is an opportunity, early in our day, to set the tone. Reminding ourselves that we are powerless but God has all power; we can turn to the well to be filled.

It is a cadence of the kind of attitude that will be vital to our permanent sobriety. What we have is a daily reprieve. What He promises is daily bread. We would do well to carve out consistent time to acknowledge this.

It is a blessing to our soul to reflect on the ongoing transformation from death to life. Addiction is a cruel tool, but it highlights the walk that we must take away from death and toward life. As we thank him for this gift, we can daily orient ourselves rightly toward our Father.

Finally, it is a guard that we build over time. We are watchful in prayer and able to intuitively understand our new lives and his will for us in them.

The more we turn to him, the more is revealed in ourselves.

God, direct my thoughts and prayers toward your will. Thank you for the gift of sobriety. Thank you for the gift of life.