February 5
Before the Plan Is Finished
We sometimes invite God into a decision after making all the arrangements. We have chosen the destination, rehearsed the explanation, and quietly dismissed the alternatives. Prayer now concerns smooth passage. We are sincere about wanting help, though there may be very little left in the plan that we are willing to have questioned.
Seeking guidance earlier can feel risky because something might change. We might discover a person we failed to consider or a motive we would rather leave unnamed. The plan may still be sound. Letting it be examined does not require abandoning every wish. It means allowing our desire to be part of the conversation instead of its final authority. Step Three gives us a chance to bring our judgment into relationship with God before we have invested quite so much in defending it. There is more freedom to listen while the arrangements remain open.
What have I already ruled out before asking for guidance?
God, help me hear what I have been leaving out.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Three, pp. 40–41; Step Eleven, p. 102.