"We don't release some things to a Higher Power and hold onto others." BRB p. 142

The Steps and Traditions mention Higher Power and prayer for a reason. They are part of learning to rely on someone or something else instead of continuing the compulsive self-reliance many of us learned in childhood.

Our belief system is a personal choice. How we pray or whom we pray to is part of that personal choice. It's even up to us to determine what prayer is.

In meetings, we hear many examples of the power of prayer. We learn that it is communication that can bring answers when we are fearful, confused, or need help making decisions. Prayer and meditation can calm us so we can feel a conscious contact with our Higher Power.

When we let go of problems, the Steps show us how to care for ourselves and recover from the effects of our childhoods. But if we pick and choose what we let go of, we hold on to things that can continue to drag us down.

Connecting to a Higher Power helps us know we are not alone and defenseless. Turning our problems over helps us release the burdens we have been carrying around. We now have faith and trust in something greater than ourselves.

On this day I choose to make prayer part of my daily ritual. I see how it can benefit me to turn all of my problems over to a Higher Power and ask for a new direction to be revealed.