The God Habit

The topic at the AA meeting was “our relationship with God.”

An AA brother shared, “I use many verb-preposition compounds and phrases when considering my relationship with God. These include faith in God, belief in God, knowledge of God, trust in God and reliance upon God.

“All of these are good. Faith in God is commendable. Belief in God is liberating. Knowledge of God is good. Trust in God is never misplaced. And reliance upon God is a better way to live.

“But for me, the Golden Standard for phrases pertinent to God as I have understood Him, is Habit of.

“When I am in the spiritual zone, I have a habit of God. I habituate God in my life. I am in a good place when I have a habit of God, habits like: thinking about God, being aware of God, or turning to God.

“Habituation, the habit of God, has been my spiritual focus as I spend time in the Program way of life.

“Early in my sobriety, I worked to be continuously aware of God. But I cannot maintain and sustain continuous awareness of God. I might start the day aware of God, but when the pressures of the day would start, I lose it. My awareness of God comes, then it goes.

“For me, habit is the solution. When awareness of God comes, then, as it inevitably does, goes away, habituation is the key. The habit of God refocuses me and brings Him back into my frame of conscious awareness.

“Continuous is beyond me, but habit is within my grasp.

“Habituation is the key for me, a habit of God: regularly and frequently bringing Him into my conscious frame of reference for the day. That maintains my spiritual condition.

“Habitual conscious awareness of God is the key to my spiritual growth.”

This was an unusual share, but it made sense. We are promised progress, not perfection. Like my AA brother, continuous thoughts of God, are beyond me. Thankfully, habituation of thoughts of God; the habit of God, is within my reach.