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.
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.
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