The Prayer that Taps into the Mystery

From As Bill Sees It: 181, Imaginary Perfection...

[The Grapevine, June 1961] When we early A.A.’s got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we could be, we coined this expression: “Don’t try to be a saint by Thursday!”

The oldtime admonition may look like another of those handy alibis that can excuse us from trying for our best. Yet a closer view reveals just the contrary. This is our A.A. way of warning against pride-blindness, and the imaginary perfections that we do not possess.

[Twelve and Twelve, p. 68] Only Step One, where we made the 100 per cent admission that we were powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection. The remaining eleven Steps state perfect ideals. They are goals toward which we look, and the measuring sticks by which we estimate our progress.

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My Take on it:

There are those who believe that the inner essence of humanity and human society is a corrupt and base state we cannot rise above unless we submit ourselves to a higher power. Then there are those who believe that we are, at our core, innocent and full of such grace that it only needs to be uncovered or discovered. These differences don’t really matter to me because, in both cases, I am required to surrender judgment and excuses. I have witnessed those who seem to be natural at radiating goodness from birth. Admittedly, they are rare individuals but they do show that transcendent spirituality is available to us all. Pride becomes humility when we see that what we call God is within us at all times. Allowing that inner resource to "do with me as You will" is the prayer that taps into the mystery.

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