Daily Recovery Readings - 7/13

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Daily Reflections

HUMILITY IS A GIFT, p.203

As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a
Higher Power was out of the question. That basic ingredient of all
humility, a desire to seek and do God's will, was missing.
12 & 12, p.72

When I first came to A.A., I wanted to find some of the elusive
quality called humility. I didn't realize I was looking for humility
because I thought it would help me get what I wanted, and I would
do anything for others if I thought God would somehow reward me
for it. I try to remember now that the people I meet in the course
of my day are as close to God as I am ever going to get while on
this earth. I need to pray for knowledge of God's will today, and see
how my experience with hope and pain can help other people; if I can
do that, I don't need to search for humility, it has found me.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Before alcoholics come into A.A., they are "flying blind." But A.A.
gives them a directed beam in the A.A. program. As long as they
keep on this beam, the signal of sobriety keeps coming through. If
they have a slip, the signal is broken. If they swing off course into
drunkenness, the signal stops. Unless they regain the A.A.
directed beam, they are in danger of crashing against the
mountain peak of despair. Am I on the beam?

Meditation For The Day

Be expectant. Constantly expect better things. Believe that what
God has in store for you is better than anything you ever had
before. The way to grow old happily is to expect better things
right up to the end of your life and even beyond that. A good life is
a growing expanding life, with ever-widening horizons, an
ever-greater circle of friends and acquaintances, and an
ever-greater opportunity for usefulness.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may await with complete faith for the next good thing
in store for me. I pray that I may always keep an expectant
attitude toward life.

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As Bill Sees It

Start by Forgiving, p. 151

The moment we ponder a twisted or broken relationship with another
person, our emotions go on the defensive. To escape looking at the
wrongs we have done another, we resentfully focus on the wrong he
has done us. Triumphantly we seize upon his slightest misbehavior as
the perfect excuse for minimizing or forgetting our own.

Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. Let's remember
that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions. In
many instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers, people
whose woes we have increased.

If we are about to ask forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn't we
start out by forgiving them, one and all?

12 & 12, p. 78

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Walk In Dry Places

Solving Problems is the Proof
Spiritual Guidance.
Although we try, it's almost impossible for us to use logic to prove the existence (for nonexistence) of God. Our best proof of God's activity in our lives has to come from personal experience.
That's the message of the 12 Step movement: God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. We cannot be responsible for setting simmering religious and doctrinal issues that have been around for centuries. We can find our own help by following the example of others in the 12 Step program.
When spiritual guidance brings answers and solutions, we don't have to defend or justify our belief in our Higher Power. What better proof do we need than evidence that the program does work?
I'll follow my Higher Power today and then let the results speak for themselves.

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Keep It Simple

A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother. ---Benjamin Franklin
Many of us come from families that aren't very healthy for us. Many families have lots of love but aren't able to show it. Maybe our parents argued or drank to much. When we share our recovery with them, they may not seem happy with us. They may be doing the best they can, but they don't understand our new way of life.
We can have the love we wanted, but it might not come from our family. We can choose healthy friends to be our new "family." Some friends may seem like the sister or brother we always wanted.
A sponsor can give us advice we never got from our parents. We can have a full, healthy "family life" after all.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me choose good friend who will help me to be the best that I can be.
Action for the Day: The best way to have a friend is to be a friend. What will I do today to be a friend.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Physician, Heal Thyself

Psychiatrist and surgeon, he had lost his way until he realized that God, not he, was the Great Healer.

She left, and I sat down and crossed my hands and looked up and said, "For God's sake, help me." And then a silly, simple thought came to me. I didn't know anything about being a father' I didn't know how to come home and work weekends like other husbands. I didn't know how to entertain my family. But I remembered that every night after dinner my wife would get up and do the dishes. Well, I could do the dishes. So I went to her and said, "There's only one thing I want in my whole life, and I don't want any commendation; I don't want any credit; I don't want anything from you or Janey for the rest of your life except one thing, and that is the opportunity to do anything you want always, and I would like to start off by doing the dishes." And now I am doing the darn dishes every night!

p. 307

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Three - "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."

The elders led Ed aside. They said firmly, "You can't talk like this around here. You'll have to quit it or get out." With great sarcasm Ed came back at them. "Now do tell! Is that so?" He reached over to a bookshelf and took up a sheaf of papers. On top of them lay the foreword to the book "Alcoholics Anonymous," then under preparation.
He read aloud, "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking." Relentlessly, Ed went on, "When you guys wrote that sentence, did you mean it, or didn't you?"
Dismayed, the elders looked at one another, for they knew he had them cold. So Ed stayed.

pp. 143-144

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The chains of alcohol were to soft to feel till they were to hard to
break. --heard at a meeting

Pay attention to the little things. Sometimes the greatest rewards are
behind something small.
--unknown

The actions and comments of others can only "get to you" if YOU
allow them to.
--unknown

Love is caring for another human being and allowing them to be who
they are and make their own choices without any demand that they
meet yours.
--Vickie Dishner

Love is like a brilliantly glowing candle. If you step into its presence
and ignite your own candle from the flame, there is not less light, but
more.
We are not meant to hoard light, but to shine and share it by becoming
love in action.
--Mary Manin Morrissey

Newcomer or long-timer, we are all the same in our need for each other.

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

DIGNITY

"To behave with dignity is
nothing less than to allow others
freely to be themselves."
--Sol Chaneles

I believe that ultimately I can only be responsible for me. It is
impossible for me to live another person's life. It is disrespectful to
assume the role of decision-maker for another adult human being.
People must have the freedom to grow and be themselves. Dignity is
affording people this freedom.

Today I can see how I continued to keep members of my family sick
by taking on a responsibility that was not mine. I can see how I was
not giving dignity to my family; I was unintentionally withholding
dignity from those I loved. People, especially family members,
must be given the freedom to express their hurts. They have a
responsibility to deal with their pain -- because it is theirs!

I pray that I may give to others the dignity I desire in my own life.

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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have
never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:10

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and
will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 7:17
Freely you have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:8

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Daily Inspiration

Today is for living and giving because God's presence is in each of us always. Lord, may I truly live a full life because I am aware that You are unceasingly blessing me.

To have a great day isn't always doing what you like, but trying to like what you must do. Lord, today I will spruce up my attitude and have a great day no matter what my circumstances.

[admin]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice. --William James
There are times when it's hard to make a decision. When we go to the fair, for instance, we may want to do more things than we have time for, so we don't know what plans to make. Waiting to decide until we see what the fair has to offer is one choice. Not deciding because we're afraid of what may happen is also a choice. We may find ourselves thinking so much about what could happen that we miss all the exciting things going on around us.
It's necessary to keep in mind that any course of action is a decision, but no decision is irreversible. We are free to do what we decide, and are freed by the awareness that whatever we do is based on our own decision and no one else's.
What important decisions shall I make without fear today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
If I were to begin life again, I should want it as it was. I would only open my eyes a little more. --Jules Renard
Spiritual and emotional growth is a process of raising our awareness. Reflecting on our growth as men, before this program and after, we see different levels of consciousness. Some of us might say we weren't at all conscious of what it meant to be a man by the time we entered the adult world.
Now we are forming an awareness of manhood. We see ourselves more as recovering, caring, strong, vulnerable men in relationships with others. We have an increased sense that our actions make a difference as sons, as fathers, as husbands, lovers, and friends. Our increased understanding of ourselves makes it possible to fulfill our potentials for growth. It is not idle fantasy to imagine beginning life again because, in a sense, we have. In recovery, it seems we have begun life again, only with our eyes a little more open.
Help me live this day with all of my awareness.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
The trouble is not that we are never happy--it is that happiness is so episodical. --Ruth Benedict
Happiness is our birthright. The decision to be happy is ours to make, every day, when confronted with any experience. Too many of us grew up believing that life needed to be a certain way for us to be happy. We looked for the right lover, the right job, and the right dress. We looked outside of ourselves for the key to happiness. In time, we even looked to alcohol, drugs, and food perhaps--to no avail.
Happiness lies within. We must encourage it to spring forth. But first we need to believe that happiness is fully within our power. We must trust that the most difficult circumstances won't keep it from us when we have learned to tap the source within.
Life is a gift we are granted moment-by-moment. Let us be in awe of the wonder of it, and then revel in it. We can marvel at creation for a moment and realize how special we are to be participants. Happiness will overcome us if we let it. We can best show our gratitude for the wonder of this gift by smiling within and without.
That I am here is a wonderful mystery to which joy is the natural response. It is no accident that I am here.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
God as We Understand God
God is subtle, but he is not malicious. --Albert Einstein
Recovery is an intensely spiritual process that asks us to grow in our understanding of God. Our understanding may have been shaped by early religious experiences or the beliefs of those around us. We may wonder if God is as shaming and frightening as people can be. We may feel as victimized or abandoned by God as we have by people from our past.
Trying to understand God may boggle our mind because of what we have learned and experienced so far in our life.
We can learn to trust God, anyway.
I have grown and changed in my understanding of this Power greater than myself. My understanding has not grown on an intellectual level, but because of what I have experienced since I turned my life and my will over to the care of God, as I understood, or rather didn't understand, God.
God is real. Loving. Good. Caring. God wants to give us all the good we can handle. The more we turn our mind and heart toward a positive understanding of God, the more God validates us.
The more we thank God for who God is, who we are, and the exact nature of our present circumstances, the more God acts in our behalf.
In fact, all along, God planned to act in our behalf.
God is Creator, Benefactor, and Source. God has shown me, beyond all else, that how I come to understand God is not nearly as important as knowing that God understand me.
Today, I will be open to growing in my understanding of my Higher Power. I will be open to letting go of old, limiting, and negative beliefs about God. No matter how I understand God, I will be grateful that God understands me.


I can go through anything a day at a time, a moment at a time with the faith and the knowledge that my Higher Power is guiding me to peace and security. --Ruth Fishel

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Humility In Action

"If we are hurting, and most of us do from time to time, we learn to ask for help."
Basic Text, p.80

Sometimes recovery gets downright difficult. It can be even more difficult to get humble enough to ask for help. We think, "I have all this time clean. I should be better than this!" But the reality of recovery is simple: whether we have thirty days or thirty years clean, we must be willing to ask for help when we need it.

Humility is a common theme in our Twelve Steps. The program of Narcotics Anonymous is not about keeping up appearances. Instead, the program helps us get the most from our recovery. We must be willing to lay bare our difficulties if we expect to find solutions to problems that arise in our lives.

There's an old expression sometimes heard in Narcotics Anonymous: We can't save our face and our ass at the same time. It isn't easy to share in a meeting when we have a number of years clean only to dissolve into tears because life on life's terms has made us realize our powerlessness. But when the meeting ends and another member comes up and says, "You know, I really needed to hear what you had to say," we know that there is a God working in our lives.

The taste of humility is never bitter. The rewards of humbling ourselves by asking for help sweetens our recovery.

Just for today: If I need help, I will ask for it. I will put humility into action in my life.
pg. 203

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Wisdom for Today
A great benefit that occurs as a direct result of sharing with others is the realization that we are only one among many. In my addiction I became very wrapped up in my own self-centered world. I was the king that ruled my own little universe of pain. I had no relationship with a Higher Power because I believed I was my own power. This self-deception crumbled with doing service work and helping others. The world did not revolve around me any more, and I was not the most important person in my universe. In reaching out to others, I began to gain greater understanding that I was only one of God's children. I began to understand more about the true power of this One I called God.
I began to see more and more why it was so important for all addicts and alcoholics to depend on God. I could not fix these newcomers any more than I could fix myself. I began to rely more on God and His wisdom because of my interactions with other fellow members of the program. I began to appreciate His strength, wisdom and grace more because of what I saw happening in my own life and the lives of others. Working with others and sharing my story has helped me see that I am on the way to where God is leading me. It helps me to see that we are all in His hands. Do I know that I am not the center of the universe?
Meditations for the Heart
"But for the grace of God" - This statement is repeated over and over again at meetings; but just what does this grace mean? I think for each of us it has different meanings, but what this grace is combines all of these meanings and more. This grace means that we can walk in His security and do not need to depend on anything other than His grace. This grace means protection against all that is evil for us, should we simply choose to accept this gift. The world cannot hurt us if we are wrapped in this grace. Sure, each of us will have struggles that we will face and even great pains at times, but we can ultimately not be harmed by this if we walk in His grace. It is this grace that enables us to find new life. It is this grace that provides for our needs. These words are not empty for the alcoholic or addict. His grace is all. Do I meditate on His grace in my life?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
Without Your grace I would not be where I am in my life today. Let me be an example of Your grace to others. Give me words to help others know the security, protection, new life and freedom that Your grace brings. Let me encourage all whom I meet in the program to accept the gift that You offer.
Amen

[admin]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

Living from Within

We are often deluded into thinking that we will find our pattern for living from someone else. We look for models to imitate. Although we do learn from others, it is from within that our most sure guidance comes. Since each one of us is unique, there is no other human being who can give us an example to copy exactly.

OA recognizes individual differences and the need we each have to discover our true self. By sharing our experience, strength, and hope, we are able to develop our unique potential as individuals. We are each free to take from and give to the group, according to our own unique needs and abilities.

If we are to receive the strength, which our Higher Power wants us to have, we need to listen to the inner voice that tells us what is right for us at any given moment. The most sure guidance comes from within.

May I listen to Your voice.