Friday's Faith - Moment by Moment

Friday's Faith

Moment by Moment

(Sorry for the delay on today's post. Blogger.com has had some internal technical difficulties.)

Last week, a client referred to Alcoholic Anonymous's "Moment by Moment" mantra in regard to how she needed to face her current crises. It grabbed my attention, and later that day I began writing a poem. But first, here is an interesting perspective from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, among other quotes regarding the need to live "Moment by Moment."

Here is the way one AA member characterizes his view of AA's "Moment by Moment" slogan, starting with a quote from the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book:

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.

"How can I best serve Thee - Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.

~AA Big Book

We tend to think that if God compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea." It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time.

However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

~Joe H., on an AA forum

"Step by step

Moment by moment

We live through

Another day"

~Anne McCaffrey

Opportunities
to find deeper powers
within ourselves
come when life
seems most challenging.

~Joseph Campbell

As Tommy has said to me,

"Grief is like you're running a race, but you keep having to return to the starting line ~ It's just a series of starting all over, again and again. You never get to the finish..."

*****

This week has held more tragedy in our personal world. One of our friend's teenage children had to be hospitalized due to being at risk... Another friend's 21-year-old child was killed. Near Tragedy and Tragedy. And then another friend revealed that not only had her child been killed almost a year ago, but that he had been repeatedly sexually violated in the process... How do we find the energy to go on, to walk through deaths, or death's near-miss, or death on top of discovering your child had been violated by someone who still goes unprosecuted...

It is exhausting. Trying to hold on to our children's lives, only to have them slip away... Then to watch others of our dear friends as their children struggle in such painful ways. I wrote the following poem BEFORE I even discovered the three above-mentioned events...

Moment by Moment

Moment by Moment...

Help me, dear Lord,

Lean on Your presence...

To fight grief's war.

Moment by Moment...

To live by faith

Amidst Death's torment,

To see Your face...

Moment by Moment,

Hold me dear Lord,

Despite Death's torrent

You'll keep me moored.

Moment by Moment,

Walk with me now,

To climb each summit,

Your strength endow.

Moment by Moment,

Throughout life's race,

Should death foment,

Please lend Your grace.

Moment by Moment

To trust You Lord,

Against Death's affront,

Life's Sure Reward.

Joe H., regarding "Moment by Moment" via AA: http://www.e-aa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=6137

Anne McCaffrey quote, Dragon Harper http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/140946

Joseph Campbell quote, The Joseph Campbell Companion

Poem - Moment by Moment - Angie Bennett Prince - 5/4/2011