From the book “Speak to Me God I Am Listening!©                                                                                                                                by Linda Larson Schlitz

For anyone from any religion or any 12 step program, the foundation of “faith” is grounded in a relationship with a “higher power.” Meditation is paramount in coming to an understanding and that “God consciousness” is the only way people can understand spiritual things.

Unfortunately, “meditation” is an elusive phenomenon for a large majority of us. I am guessing it was easier back in the days before electronic gadgets, constant busyness and the workaholism that has become an expectation in this day and age. We seem to think this is a new problem and we justify it but even when Jesus walked the earth there were those that had their priorities messed up!

Martha, a good friend of Jesus, was admonished for always rushing around cooking and getting things ready for her guests, one of them was Jesus himself, but he told her that it was more important for her to just stop and listen to him like her sister Mary had learned. Indeed it is necessary to cook and clean but prioritizing our to-do list to include a time to meditate requires an  intentional decision if we are going to live a life of serenity!

I have found that there have been great benefits in attending AA, NA, PTSD, OA, CODA, Alanon, church and Bible study and other alphabet groups, but since they are all founded on God, my efforts of self improvement will be fruitless if I am not spending time with Him “praying only for the knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out” (Step 11 Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book)

Unfortunately for a lot of us with ADHD or other “issues” getting the committee in our heads to shut up for a minute so we can have some “conscious contact with God” is a challenge. It has taken me nearly 40 years to finally figure out the simple solution to “hearing” from God.

My best hope is praying first and then being ready to listen to the answer. I put my hands on the keyboard, or on the recorder and say “SPEAK TO ME GOD – I AM LISTENING!” And then I type what comes to mind. It doesn’t matter what you believe about it being real or not. You will know if it’s God because it will feel like it was written for you….why? Because it was!

This daily meditation book is for alphabet sufferers (AA, NA, OA, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, ACOA, GA, SA, AlAnon, NarAnon…does anyone not meet criteria??) We will be focusing on working through the 12 steps each month with the whole book giving readers the opportunity to get in the practice of taking that final step in the meditation process which is LISTENING and then writing it down so we can be reminded of what God has spoken to us in the past as well as to leave a legacy of HOPE to others in the future.

If you are interested in developing a personal relationship with God I invite you to join me as I write my meditation book called Speak to Me God I am Listening. Just sign up on the right side of this post and receive my Ebook “7 Step Guide to Knowing God’s Plan”