There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my parent’s not-so-large, five room apartment. I had, as they say, "run out of options." My life was out of control, way out. Had it not been for mom and dad’s willingness to let me stay with them, I would have been homeless living in Central Park or another one of New York City’s fine parks. Years of rampant excess had brought me to my knees.

I would lay awake at night, unable to sleep, pleading with God to help me. I prayed, begged and bargained for my life to change. I would imagine having a nice apartment and girlfriend, spending quiet evenings together. I just wanted to get my life back on track for it had been years since I lived anything that resembled a "normal" life.

As they say, "We plan and God laughs." God’s plan for me was quite different from mine. God’s plan brought me to the detox ward of a local hospital, since He knew where the real problem lay. I remember sitting on the beat-up old couch on the second day, the day when one experiences the physical bottom of the detox and, with my arms reaching out, looking upward saying "Okay God, either take me or help me change." To be quite honest, at that moment, it didn’t much matter to me which He chose. That fateful day was many years ago, and my life has never been the same from that moment on.

The hand of God reached directly into my life and changed my course from one of self-loathing and imminent death, to a life that is beyond my wildest dreams. Today I have a wonderful life, complete with a loving and supportive wife and beautiful home but, more importantly, today my life has purpose. Today I realize that the hand of God reached into my life so that I could share my message of hope and possibility to help others. Today I have the privilege of touching the lives of people throughout the world with my books and speaking and I am forever grateful that His will, not mine, was done.

Exercise:

Looking back over your own life, at what points did the Hand of God reach in and guide you?

How did that change the direction of your life?

Realizing that this guidance is always there for you, if you were God, looking at this person's (you) life, what would you change?

Ask for guidance and follow your intuition.

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