May 11

Our Recovery is our contract with the God Of Our Own Understanding, not with anyone or anything else. We pleaded through our Surrender in the First Step to get clean.

We begged for the obsession to use to be lifted in the Second Step. Now in our Third Step Decision, we are Deciding to form a partnership with this Loving, Caring Power we met in the prior Step. We call on our Higher Power for Strength and Guidance as we Surrender to the Spiritual Principles of Narcotics Anonymous.

Throughout our Recovery we fall short because we're human. We fall short because we suffer from an incurable disease called addiction. Since this disease manifests itself in every area of our Lives, we need to Live by Spiritual Principles, in every area of our Lives.

We need to maintain a Conscious Contact with our Higher Power to achieve the Power to Live by Spiritual Principles. When we fall short, we ask the God Of Our Own Understanding first to Forgive us and second to give us the Power and Courage not to fall short. If we are asking God to be Patient and Tolerant with us when we fall short, we must apply the same Principles to ourselves and others. We have to remember that other people, like us, are still growing emotionally.

It would be senseless to get angry or have great expectations from people who like us, are suffering from growing pains. Patience and Tolerance are things that are not contained in us, we get it from outside ourselves. We get it from the God Of Our Own Understanding, if we ask for it.