August 18: Spiritual Principle a Day, read by Fern

Spiritual Principle a Day for August 18, read by Fern

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August 18

Perseverance Pays Off

"Caring for our spiritual condition is like cleaning the house: If we want the benefit, the work must be ongoing."

—Living Clean, Chapter 1, “A Vision of Hope”

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We experience peace of mind and freedom when we consistently work on our spiritual fitness. We get in a groove of daily inventories, prayer and meditation, and helping other addicts. The results are obvious, and it feels great to be comfortable in our own skin, connected to a Higher Power and to others in recovery. It’s a beautiful thing—until we sabotage it!

Just as it’s easier to keep a home tidy after we’ve done a thorough cleaning, steady work on our recovery yields consistently good results. And yet, it’s so flipping easy to skip our daily inventory and, before we know it, several days or weeks or months have passed. It’s no surprise when we lose perspective and our lives become unmanageable again. We sit down, reluctantly, and recommit to our Tenth Step. A sense of relief returns. Maybe next time, we’ll only wait a few days before we sit down to write. Progress!

We may not be hardwired to persevere, but we get better at it with practice. We can start again at any time. We don’t need to devolve into a state of desperation before we reach for solutions; today, we can be inspired to do the work of ongoing recovery. We notice the sense of ease we enjoy when we stay immersed in the process. We put one foot in front of the other and persevere.

Each of us develops a routine that works for us, built from the suggestions shared in the experience of others. “When I see a member struggling, I always tell them that my best days start with a quick prayer before my feet hit the floor,” one member shared. Another shared about their eclectic approach to meditation: “A couple of deep breaths in the shower or a long walk after dinner does it for me.” The trick is sticking with it and, when that fails, getting back to it.

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Spiritual Principle:

I will evaluate my spiritual condition today. Am I getting the results I want from my current routine, or is it time for a spiritual deep cleaning?

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© NA World Services

This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Welcome to the Voices of Recovery podcast.
This is your Spiritual Principleof the Day episode featuring a
recovering addict. Hi, my name is Fern.

(00:23):
My clean date is January 5th, 1984.
You're listening to the Voices of Recovery podcast.
This is the spiritual principle of the day for August 18th.
Perseverance pays off. Caring for our spiritual
condition is like cleaning the house.

(00:45):
If we want the benefit, the workmust be ongoing.
Living Clean Chapter One A Vision of hope We experience
Peace of Mind and freedom when we consistently work on our
spiritual fitness. We get in a groove of daily
inventories, prayer and meditation, and helping other

(01:07):
addicts. The results are obvious and it
feels great to be comfortable inour own skin, connect to a
higher power and to others in recovery.
It is a beautiful thing until wesabotage it just as easily to
keep a home tidy after we've done a thorough cleaning.

(01:28):
Steady work on our recovery yields consistently good
results. And yet it's so flippin easy to
skip our daily inventory and before we know it's several days
on weeks or months have passed. It's no surprise when we lose
perspective and our lives becomeunmanageable again.

(01:48):
We sit down reluctantly and recommit to our 10th step.
A sense of relief returns. Maybe next time we'll only wait
a few days before we sit down towrite progress.
We may not be hardwired to persevere, but we do get better
at it. With practice, we can start

(02:09):
again at any time. We don't need to devolve into a
state of desperation before we reach for solutions.
Today, I can be inspired to do the work of ongoing recovery.
We noticed the sense of ease when we enjoy, when we stay
immersed in the process. We put 1 foot in front of the

(02:31):
other and persevere. Each of us develops a routine
that works for us, built from the suggestions shared in the
experiences of others. When I see a member struggling,
I always tell them that my best days start with a quick prayer
before my feet hit the floor. 1 member shared another shared

(02:52):
about their eclectic approach tomeditation.
A couple of deep breaths in the shower or a long walk after
dinner does it for me. The trick is sticking with it
and when that fails, getting back to it.
Spiritual Principle I will evaluate my spiritual condition

(03:13):
today. Am I getting the results I want
from my spiritual routine or is it time for a spiritual deep
cleaning? The Voices of Recovery Podcast
is an independent production of the works of Wisdom.
We welcome your questions and donations via PayPal at
[e-mail]. This podcast is an independent

(03:36):
production and is not affiliatedwith, associated with,
authorized by, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected
with Narcotics Anonymous or any of its subsidiaries or
affiliates. While any literature may be read
during episodes for the purpose of supporting recovery, such use
does not constitute an official endorsement or representation by
Narcotics Anonymous. In accordance with any

(03:58):
tradition, the NA name is not tobe used to endorse or be
affiliated with any outside enterprise, and no such
endorsement or affiliation is implied.
Music is by Sage. Thanks for listening to the
Voices of Recovery podcast.