AA Life: Progress as Seen by a Higher Power

                         

Dear Reader,

Today I had a conversation with a friend about how his outlook on life has changed since getting sober and staying clean. It has been meaningful to see how his thinking and actions are different now from when I first met him.

Some of these changes have been subtle…
Others have been clearly visible.

Over the years, I have watched him stumble and question whether the A.A. way of life truly works.
The beautiful thing is not that he avoided struggle—but that through the struggle, he arrived at moments of being sincerely calm and at peace within himself.

For my friend, no matter the conditions of his life, he made progress each day.

Sometimes through mistakes.
Sometimes through quiet insights.

But always—somehow—moving forward.

One thing I have come to know is this:
Even when he did not see progress… God did.

“For the Lord seeth not as man seeth… the Lord looketh on the heart.”
—1 Samuel 16:7

Our Higher Power—God—does not measure us by outward success, perfection, or visible results.
He looks at something far more honest:

The direction of the heart.

What is this progress?

It is the desire to still do His will…
To rise again after a fall…
To not look back in longing for what once was, especially when discouraged.

That desire—simple, sincere, and sometimes fragile—is enough.

In recovery language, this is the shift from hopeless perfection to willingness through grace.

We may feel our efforts are spoiled…
That we’ve taken two steps back…
That what we offered was not good enough.

But God receives it differently.

What we see as flawed,
He sees as offered.

What we see as failure,
He sees as movement toward Him.

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
—2 Corinthians 12:9

It is like climbing a steep hill.

Our feet stumble…
Our progress feels slow…

Yet we continue—inch by inch, step by step.

How often have we heard the phrase, “God is watching,” and missed its deeper meaning?

Not judgment…
But awareness.
Not condemnation…
But quiet witnessing of our effort.

And above us, though we may not yet see it clearly,
a view is unfolding.

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Final Thought

Progress in the spiritual life is not always something you feel.

Sometimes it is simply this:

You did not quit today.
You turned your heart—even slightly—toward what is right.
You kept climbing.

And that—seen through God’s eyes—
is already a beautiful offering.

From Fragmentation to Wholeness in the Presence of a Higher Power

                         

Dear Reader,

There are times in life when we do not feel whole.

Not broken beyond repair…
but divided.

A part of us wants what is right.
Another part resists.
One part believes…
another part doubts.

In recovery, we come to recognize this condition clearly:

A divided self cannot stand in peace.

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🌿 The Call to Wholeness

In Mark 12:30, Christ gives a command that is often read simply—but carries a deeper invitation:

“Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.”

This is not just a command to love.

It is a call to gather.

• The heart (our desires)
• The soul (our identity)
• The mind (our thoughts)
• The strength (our actions)

👉 Not one part missing.
👉 Not one part hidden.

All.

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🌿 The Inner Work of Integration

In the Gospel of Mary, there is a quiet but powerful idea:

That the soul must come to know itself,
and in that knowing, be freed from division.

This speaks to something many of us have experienced:

We are not just fighting the world…
we are often struggling within ourselves.

In AA, this shows up as:

• Saying one thing… doing another
• Wanting recovery… resisting change
• Seeking peace… but holding onto fear

This is what we might call fragmentation.

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🌿 Recovery: From Division to Unity

The Twelve Steps gently lead us through a process:

• Awareness
• Honesty
• Surrender
• Alignment

Until, over time, something begins to happen:

The parts of us that were once in conflict… begin to come together.

Not perfectly.
But honestly.

Not instantly.
But steadily.

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🌿 Wholeness Is Not Perfection

Here is the quiet truth:

God does not ask for a perfected self—
He asks for a whole one.

To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength
is not to eliminate parts of yourself—

but to bring them into the light.

• The part that struggles
• The part that fears
• The part that hopes
• The part that believes

👉 All of it belongs.

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🌿 One Light, One Life

When we stop hiding from ourselves…
when we stop dividing our inner life into acceptable and unacceptable parts…

something changes.

The “double-minded” person begins to settle.
The restless heart finds direction.
The scattered self becomes gathered.

And in that moment:

We are no longer many selves trying to survive—
but one soul standing in the presence of God.

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🌿 Closing Reflection

Perhaps wholeness is not something we achieve…

but something we allow.

In the presence of God,
nothing true about us needs to be rejected—
only gathered.

And what is gathered…
becomes whole.

From Promise to Resurrection: A Sacred Journey

 

(Inspired by Handel’s Messiah)

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Dear Reader,

During this Easter season, I found myself not only listening to The Messiah, but also going back through the scriptures used in its composition.

As I did, my thoughts were drawn to the prophecies of the Old Testament, the events of Jesus Christ’s life, and then to His suffering, triumph, and the promise of the risen Christ.

What emerged was a sense of walking a sacred path—
one that begins in prophecy, moves through suffering, and rises into eternal light.

Through the words of The Messiah, and the witness of scripture, we are invited into a living journey—one of hope, experience, and the blessings that come through the Son of the Living God.

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✨ The Promise

The journey begins centuries earlier in the Book of Isaiah:

“Comfort ye, my people…”

A promise is given to a waiting world:

• God will come near
• Healing will come
• Salvation will come

This is not yet seen—
but it is deeply felt.

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The Life of Christ — God Among Us

Then, quietly, the promise takes form.

Jesus Christ enters the world:

• Teaching truth
• Healing the broken
• Lifting the burdened

The words of prophecy are no longer distant—
they are now walking among men.

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Good Friday — The Depth of Love

The journey does not avoid suffering—
it passes directly through it.

From Gethsemane to the cross:

“He was despised and rejected…” (Isaiah 53)

Here we see something the natural man struggles to understand:

• Innocence suffering
• Love enduring
• Mercy extended even in pain

This is not defeat.

This is Atonement.

This is the moment where:

• Sin is carried
• The debt is paid
• Love is proven beyond measure

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The Silence — Between the Cross and the Dawn

There is a space we often overlook.

A quiet space.

After the cross…
before the resurrection.

A time of:

• Uncertainty
• Waiting
• Stillness

And perhaps, in our own lives, we know this place well.

The place where we do not yet see the answer…
but are asked to trust.

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Easter Sunday — The Victory of Life

And then…
light breaks.

“I know that my Redeemer liveth…”

The tomb is empty.

Death is overcome.

Hope is restored.

This is not just a return to life—
this is a new kind of life.

A declaration to all mankind:

• Darkness does not win
• Death is not final
• Love endures

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The Meaning for Us — The Journey Continues

The message of Easter is not only what Christ has done—
but what He offers.

The same path becomes ours:

• From burden → to surrender
• From sorrow → to healing
• From death (in all its forms) → to life

As expressed in the New Testament
and beautifully echoed in the Book of Mormon

The resurrection is not only an event…
it is an invitation.

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A Closing Reflection

As I reflected on this journey—from prophecy to resurrection—one quiet truth remained:

The road from Good Friday to Easter Sunday
is not only the story of Christ…

it is the pattern of every soul seeking light.

We all know:

• Our Fridays (sorrow, struggle)
• Our silent Saturdays (waiting, uncertainty)

But because of Him…
we are promised an Easter.

Abide… Be Steadfast… Become His

An Easter Message of Connection, Covenant, and New Life.

Dear Reader,

As we enter this sacred season of Easter, we pause to remember the central truth of our faith:

Christ lives.

But Easter is more than remembrance.
It is an invitation—an invitation to discover what His life means within us.

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The Invitation: “Abide in Me”

In John 15:4-6, the Savior gives a simple yet profound teaching:

“Abide in me, and I in you…”

To abide is not to strive harder—it is to remain, to stay connected, to dwell.

In a world that teaches us to achieve, perform, and prove, Christ offers something different:

Stay with Me.

President Russell M. Nelson has taught:

“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”

When our focus is Christ—when we abide—something begins to change within us.

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The Foundation: “Steadfast and Immovable”

In Mosiah 5:15, King Benjamin adds depth to this invitation:

“Be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works…”

To abide is to remain.
To be steadfast is to remain even when life is difficult.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once said:

“However late you think you are… I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love.”

Steadfastness is not perfection.
It is continuing to turn toward Him—again and again.

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The Ancient Echo: The Covenant Path

Long before Christ’s mortal ministry, the same invitation was given through Moses:

• “Cleave unto him…” — Deuteronomy 10:20
• “Walk in all his ways…” — Deuteronomy 5:33

At Sinai, the law was written on stone.

Today, through Christ, that same law is written in the heart.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf beautifully expressed:

“God does not look on the outward appearance. He looks at your heart.”

The path has not changed—only our understanding of it has deepened.

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The Promise: “That Christ… May Seal You His”

One of the most powerful phrases in Mosiah is this:

“That Christ… may seal you his”

This is the language of belonging.

Not just:

• I believe in Christ
  But:
• I am His

Elder David A. Bednar taught:

“Covenants received and honored allow us to be blessed with divine power.”

Through covenant and connection, something sacred happens:

We are not just followers—we are claimed, known, and held.

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The Evidence: A Life That Bears Fruit

When we abide and remain steadfast, the result is not forced effort—it is natural fruit.

• love where there was fear
• peace where there was struggle
• service where there was self

This echoes both:

• the “fruit of the Spirit” in the New Testament
• and the transformation described in Alma 32:28:

“It beginneth to enlarge my soul… to enlighten my understanding…”

President Henry B. Eyring said:

“The Holy Ghost is a companion who will comfort, guide, and inspire us as we serve others.”

Good works are not how we earn God’s love.
They are the evidence that His life is flowing through us.

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The Meaning of Easter

Easter is not only about an empty tomb.
It is about a living relationship.

Because Christ rose:

• we can abide
• we can become steadfast
• we can be changed
• we can belong

President Russell M. Nelson testified:

“Because of the Savior’s Atonement, His gospel provides an invitation to keep changing, growing, and becoming more pure.”

Final Reflection

There is another world… but it is in this one.

It is found when we remain.

“Abide in me…”

“Be steadfast and immovable…”

Not striving alone—
but staying connected to the Source of Life.

For the stone has been rolled away.

And as we remain in Him…

We come to know that we are Loved

“Two Women, One Choice That Changed History”

 Good Morning, Dear Reader,

Today I may have wandered a little while studying the book of Exodus. As I read about Pharaoh’s daughter and reflected on the role of women in history, I found myself thinking of Elizabeth of York in English history.

I offer this short reflection.

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At first glance, Elizabeth of York and the unnamed Pharaoh's Daughter seem to belong to entirely different worlds—one in royal England, the other in ancient Egypt. Yet both stand at turning points in history, where division gives way to the possibility of unity.

Elizabeth of York was born into the House of York, long in conflict with the House of Lancaster. Through her marriage to Henry VII, she became a living bridge that helped end the Wars of the Roses. From that union came a new line of kings, including Henry VIII, and eventually Elizabeth I—marking the rise of a unified and strengthened England.

Pharaoh’s daughter, though Egyptian royalty, chose compassion over fear and rescued a Hebrew child—Moses—at a time when the people of Israel were oppressed. Her act of courage not only saved a life, but preserved the one through whom God would later lead Israel toward deliverance.

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These women stood in places where they could have preserved division…
but instead became instruments of healing.

Their stories remind us that history is often shaped not by power alone,
but by quiet, courageous compassion.

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In the story of Moses, Pharaoh’s daughter becomes an unexpected vessel in God’s plan—someone outside the covenant who helps preserve it. This reflects a broader truth found throughout the Bible and the Book of Mormon:

God often works through unlikely people to bring about His purposes.

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A simple but searching question remains:

Where am I being asked to choose compassion over division?

We often think great change requires great strength.
But these stories suggest something different—

The turning points of history often begin with a single, quiet decision:
to protect, to unite, and to act in love.

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Some women unite a kingdom.
Some preserve a deliverer.

Both remind us that even in divided times, a single act aligned with goodness
can become part of a much greater redemption story.

Marriage: A School for the Soul

                                     
Dear Reader,  

Today I found myself drawn to the subject of marriage. From past scripture study—and from my present effort to draw closer to our Heavenly Father—I offer the following thoughts. 

Marriage, in its highest form, is not merely a union of two individuals—it is a divine covenant designed to transform the natural man into a spiritual being. 

The Lord’s pattern has always pointed toward unity—not just companionship, but a unity that elevates, refines, and sanctifies. As taught in Genesis 2:24, “they shall be one flesh.” In my understanding, this unity is not only physical or emotional—it is spiritual alignment with God. 

At its best, marriage becomes: 

• A protection against selfishness and isolation  

• A training ground for charity, patience, and forgiveness  

• A center where love is learned, tested, and deepened  

But scripture also teaches why marriage sometimes falls short of this divine purpose. 

The challenge is not in the institution itself, but in what the "Natural Man" brings into it. 

The Book of Mormon teaches plainly: 

• Mosiah 3:19 
  “The natural man is an enemy to God…”  

That same natural man does not disappear when we enter marriage—he comes with us. 

When marriage is built on the “natural man”—on pride, appearance, passion, or self-interest—it becomes unstable. What was meant to be a source of harmony becomes a place of misunderstanding and disappointment. 

Marriage has not failed—we are still learning what it is meant to become.. 

True marriage, in the Lord’s design, is part of the same journey described throughout scripture: 

• From self-centeredness → to selflessness  

• From temporary pleasure → to lasting joy  

• From natural affection → to Christlike love  

Jesus Christ Himself defined this higher law: 

• John 15:13 
  “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  

In marriage, this “laying down of life” rarely happens all at once. 
It happens daily: 

• In choosing patience over irritation 

• In choosing understanding over judgment 

• In choosing to give when it would be easier to withdraw 

This is why marriage is not simply about happiness—it is about becoming. 

And yet, the promise remains that true happiness is found—but not where the world often looks for it. 

The Book of Mormon reminds us: 

• 2 Nephi 2:25 
  “Men are, that they might have joy.”  

That joy is not found in outward things—appearance, status, or fleeting emotion—but in a life aligned with God. 

When a marriage is rooted in that alignment: 

• Love becomes deeper than feeling  

• Unity becomes stronger than disagreement  

• And joy becomes more secure than circumstance  

In this sense, marriage becomes something sacred: 

Not just a relationship, 
But a refining partnership— 

Where two imperfect people, 
learning to rely on God, 

help one another become something neither could become alone. 

Marriage is not meant to be perfect at the start. 
It is meant to be perfecting. 

And as we move—however slowly—from the natural man toward the spiritual life, 
marriage becomes less about what we receive and more about what we are becoming together— 
in the presence of God.