“By starting to trust our Higher Power, we cleared the way for growth and recovery. Now we no longer have to rely on the weak force of self-will to solve our problems. Faith and acceptance are our new solutions. The power of faith gives our lives a new direction.”

– Life with Hope, third edition, page 13

I was raised to believe people could do anything they set their minds to. Self-will, seen as the most powerful force in the world, was the cornerstone of this belief. While I had many successes in life as a result of pushing against the odds, I met my match with cannabis. No matter how hard I tried to control my use, I found my will was powerless in the struggle. Only when I accepted the fact that I was an addict and reached out in faith for help did things begin to change.

As I began to recognize other areas in my life where I was powerless, which I had to turn over to my Higher Power, I gradually began to experience an empowering new faith and the clarity that comes with it. In the years of struggling with the parts of my life over which I had no control, I had neglected, in that struggle, the crucial aspects of my life over which I did have power.

By letting go of that over which I have no control, I have more time, energy, and power to be responsible to work on those things I can control. In this process, my faith is strengthened, my clarity is sharpened, and those things I once thought impossible now materialize, often effortlessly, as I find God is doing for me what I could never do for myself.

Final thought: Today, I will practice faith in my life, doing my best work and leaving the results to my Higher Power.