What is my Motive? – 401

At a recent meeting, the topic was Step 11. I most often share about my difficulties in creating a regular program of prayer and meditation. But at this meeting, I picked the second part of the step “Praying only for knowledge of God’s will…” The question that I face when I consider that phrase is, “how do I know if something is God’s will or just mine?”

Apparently, I last talked about this question in Episode 61 “Intuition or God’s Will?”

One tool that I try to remember to use when faced with this question is to ask myself “What is my motive?” I was guided to this question by a program friend some years ago. An acquaintance had had a horrible experience, and I was thinking about calling them to let them know I cared. But, I also had enough Al-Anon experience to know that I really ought to check this out with someone else, first. So I called a program friend, and described what I was considering. This friend then asked me “What is your motive?”

That made me stop and think. What was my motive? Did I really think that I could provide support? Or was I just trying to make myself feel better about not being able to actually do anything about the situation? Was I close enough to my acquaintance to even talk to them about their experience? 

In the end, I decided that this idea came from my will, with the motive of making myself feel better, and did not call. Years later, I still think that was the right decision.

There are other situations in which I ask myself, “what is my motive?” Listen to hear about them.

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Readings and Links

We read from Courage to Change, January 18.

Feedback?

What is your experience using the question, “What is my motive?” Please send a voice memo or email to [email protected], or call our voice mail line at 734-707-8795.