Daily Recovery Readings - 1/14

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Daily Reflections

NO REGRETS

We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door
on it.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.83

Once I became sober, I began to see how wasteful my
life had been and I experienced overwhelming guilt and
feelings of regret. The program's Fourth and Fifth
Steps assisted me enormously in healing those troubling
regrets. I learned that my self-centeredness and
dishonesty stemmed largely from my drinking and that
I drank because I was an alcoholic. Now I see how even
my most distasteful past experiences can turn to gold
because, as a sober alcoholic, I can share them to help
my fellow alcoholics, particularly newcomers. Sober for
several years in A.A., I no longer regret the past; I
am simply grateful to be conscious of God's love and
of the help I can give to others in the Fellowship.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

When we first came into A.A., a sober life seemed
strange. We wondered what life could possibly be like
without ever taking a drink. At first, a sober life
seemed unnatural. But the longer we're in A.A., the more
natural this way of life seems. And now we know that the
life we're living in A.A., the sobriety, the fellowship,
the faith in God, and the trying to help each other, is
the most natural way we could possibly live. Do I believe
it's the way God wants me to live?

Meditation For The Day

I will learn to overcome myself, because every blow to
selfishness is used to shape the real, eternal,
unperishable me. As I overcome myself, I gain that power
which God releases in my soul. And I too will be
victorious. It is not the difficulties of life that I
have to conquer, so much as my own selfishness.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may obey God and walk with Him and listen
to Him. I pray that I may strive to overcome my own
selfishness.

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As Bill Sees It

Anonymity and Sobriety, p. 299

As the A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems.
Enthusiastic over the spectacular recovery of a brother alcoholic, we'd
sometimes discuss those intimate and harrowing aspects of his case
meant for his sponsor's ear alone. The aggrieved victim would then
rightly declare that his trust had been broken.

When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of
confidence in our anonymity promise was severe. It frequently turned
people from us. Clearly, every A.A. member's name--and story,
too--had to be confidential, if he wished.

<< << << >> >> >>

We now fully realize that 100 per cent personal anonymity before the
public is just as vital to the life of A.A. as 100 per cent sobriety is to
the life of each and every member. This is not counsel of fear; it is the
prudent voice of long experience.

1. 12 & 12, p. 185
2. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 293

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Walk in Dry Places

If God be for us___Good Orderly Directions
Sometimes we find help and power in staying sober, yet feel naked and alone when facing other problems. It is almost as if we see our Higher Power as a "sobering-up God" who has said, "I'll help you with drinking problem, but you're on your own in everything else.
The true way to practice AA's principles in all of our affairs is to view everything as spiritual, as being under God's direction and influence. God is with us in our homes, in the shop, on the highway, or wherever we go. There is no place and no action that is beyond God's scrutiny and power.
We should reflect on this truth at times when we are frustrated or when others threaten us. We should not expect God to aid us in manipulating or dominating others. God will be with us as a protecting, guiding presence in all our activities and relationships. And when we truly understand this, we will find surprising reserves of courage in situations that used to frighten u s. This is true even when we are not ceratin of the outcome of a situation.
I will know that God is with me in all of my affairs today, in all that I think, say, or do.

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Keep It Simple

If you play with a thing long enough, you will surely break it.---Anonymous
Some things shouldn't be played with. Our recovery program is one these things. When we play with our program, we're taking a risk. We play with the program by missing meetings. Or by not calling our sponsors. Or by skipping the Steps we think are to hard. It's okay to play. But it's not okay to play with our program, we risk our lives.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me know that I must work this program with care and respect.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll make two list. On one list, I'll write ways I work on my program. On the other list, I'll write ways I play with my program. And I'll put my energy into working the program.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

TIGHTROPE
Trying to separate worlds was a lonely charade that ended when this gay alcoholic finally landed in A.A.

A later sponsor took me through Steps Eight and Nine and provided me with support during some trying times. In my third year of sobriety, I was bedridden for over a month as a result of that earlier injury to my spinal discs, my father died, a relationship ended, and the AIDS epidemic started to hit home among my friends and acquaintances. Over the course of that and the next few years, almost half of my gay friends died. I learned in that year that if I ask for help, my Higher Power will never give me anything I can't handle.

p. 367

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Four - "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."

Some will object to many of the questions posed, because they think their own character defects have not been so glaring. To these it can be suggested that a conscientious examination is likely to reveal the very defects the objectionable questions are concerned with. Because our surface record hasn't looked too bad, we have frequently been abashed to find that this is so simply because we have buried these self same defects deep down in us under thick layers of self-justification. Whatever the defects, they have finally ambushed us into alcoholism and misery.

pp. 53-54

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You cannot think your way into sober living. You live your way into sober thinking.

I embrace the beauty of life, and depend deeply upon God. --Shelley

"You Can't Change The Wind, But You Can Adjust Your Sails..." Make This Day Shine. --Carol Anne

Without Gods inner source of enlightenment and refreshment, I would soon stagnate and feel despair. --Shelley

God is my constant companion and comfort. --JReid51546

I faithfully, trustfully, have acceptance for God's will, and I therefore find serenity. --Shelley

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

RESPONSIBILITY

"The fault is in us."
-- Hannah Arendt

As a drunk I would blame everybody for my problems: My family was
too controlling. I did not have people around who understood me. I
worked too hard and the people were too demanding. The weather was
awful!

Today I accept my involvement with my past predicament. Bad things
happened to me because I created them in my life. And this means that
good and creative things can also happen in my life if I create them. I
need not remain the problem. I can be the solution!

Let me discover Your answer in my response to life.

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"As servants of God, live as free people." 1 Peter 1:16

"Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces." Isaiah 25:8

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

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Daily Inspiration

Home should be the happiest place to be. Fill it with love, laughter and good conversation. Lord, give us Your peace and teach us to share it.

Faith grows by speaking daily with God. Lord, You teach me Your promises when times are good so that I will be able to trust in You when times are hard.

[admin]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
The universe is made up of stories, not atoms. --Muriel Rukeyser
There was once a storyteller who told many people of her life. They listened and heard their own stories in hers. Hearing her story, they didn't feel so lonely anymore. Hearing about someone else who had lost things and people she loved, who had felt lonely, scared, and unsure of herself, let them feel less crazy when similar things happened to them.
Because of the healing they felt through hearing someone else's story, some of the listeners decided to become storytellers themselves. As they recounted their stories, they found that letting out secrets that had bothered them for years freed them to feel good about who they were and who they had always wanted to be.
What secrets can I share today?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? --Hillel
Some of us were treated badly as young boys and never learned how to live for ourselves. We can see only two choices: either be submissive and caretaking or be abusive and demanding. Many of us have so much guilt and shame that we feel we don't deserve to stand up for ourselves. This program demands that in recovery we be for ourselves. If we don't know how, we learn. If we are unsure, we must experiment. When we make mistakes, we must admit them and know we have a right to be imperfect learners. And we can't be only for ourselves, because that keeps us small and turns us back to where we came from.
As we accept ourselves and come to know our imperfections and weaknesses, we can understand others better. We are stronger in giving to others and more effective because we have a place to stand.
Today, even if I don't feel good about myself, I will stand up for my dignity as a man.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
In a culture where approval/disapproval has become the predominant regulator of effort and position, and often the substitute for love, our personal freedoms are dissipated. --Viola Spolin
Wanting others to approve our efforts, our appearance, our aspirations and behavior is perfectly normal, certainly not unhealthy. However, needing the approval in order to proceed with our lives is.
In early childhood we are taught to obey others and to please them. We confuse love with approval, and we begin to march to someone else's drum. Then we get even more approval. But soon we get out of step with ourselves; we neglect our personal needs and become puppets. Giving away our power to the whims of others weakens our Spirit. Personal freedom means choosing our own behavior; it means acting rather than reacting. It also means allowing ourselves the full adventure of living, of meeting each moment wholly, of responding in a pure, spontaneous, personally honest manner. Only then can we give to life what is ours to give.
Each of us has a unique part to play in the drama of life. And we need to rely on our higher power for our cues, not on those whose approval we think we need. When we turn within for guidance, all the approval we could hope for will be ours.
I will be free today. I will let no one control my actions. I will let God give the only approval that counts. Aligning my will with God's will guarantees it.


You are reading from the book The Language Of Letting Go.
Accepting Anger
Anger is one of the many profound effects life has on us. It's one of our emotions. And we're going to feel it when it comes our way -- or else repress it. --Codependent No More
If I were working a good program, I wouldn't get angry.... If I were a good Christian, I wouldn't feel angry.... If I were really using my affirmations about how happy I am, I wouldn't be angry.... Those are old messages that seduce us into not feeling again. Anger is part of life. We need not dwell in it or seek it out, but we can't afford to ignore it.
In recovery, we learn we can shamelessly feel all our feelings, including anger, and still take responsibility for what we do when we feel angry. We don't have to let anger control us, but it surely will if we prevent ourselves from feeling it.
Being grateful, being positive, being healthy, does not mean we never feel angry. Being grateful, positive, and healthy means we feel angry when we need to.
Today, I will let myself be angry, if I need to. I can feel and release my emotions, including anger, constructively. I will be grateful for my anger and the things it is trying to show me. I can feel and accept all my emotions without shame, and I can take responsibility for my actions.


I am clearing out old confusion and doubt so that I can see the miracle today. --Ruth Fishel

[admin]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought.

Willing to Go to Any Lengths

To achieve success in this program, we are willing to go to any lengths. We want to stop eating compulsively more than anything else. We are willing to take the steps, which led to success for hundreds of others who have gone before us.

When we put abstinence first in our lives, then we are willing to experience periods of hunger and craving as our appetites and our bodies adjust to the new food plan. We are willing to eat according to need, not greed.

In times of stress and difficulty, we are willing to go to any lengths to stay on our program. This may involve going to extra meetings, making more phone calls, spending more time reading the literature and meditating. Whatever it takes to keep us abstinent is what we are willing to do.

Most important, we are willing to turn our lives over to the care of God, as each of us understands Him. As we let ourselves be led hour-by-hour and day-by-day, our lives fall into place, and we are given inner joy and serenity.

I pray that I may always be willing.

[admin]

Wisdom for Today
One thing that I found important along the way was to remember to thank God. In the selfishness of my addiction, I was so far removed from God that I had no relationship with Him at all. As I got clean and sober, I found myself still struggling with selfishness and self-centeredness. Just because I stopped drinking and using didn't mean that I instantly became grateful. I really had to stop and think about what was happening in my life. When I really stopped long enough to realize that nothing that was happening in my life was by my own doing, I finally started to experience gratitude.
It was not just God that I needed to thank; it was also everyone else who had been helping me. I began to seek out those people who would say something at a meeting that I could relate to and express my appreciation. I made a purpose of thanking my sponsor each time we talked. I began to even thank my family members for the support they offered. Most of all, I spent time each morning asking God for help and each evening thanking Him for another day of sobriety. Am I truly grateful for the gifts I receive in recovery?
Meditations for the Heart
In recovery my vision changed. It was not just because my brain came out of the fog; it was because I started to experience a spiritual vision. I could not physically see God, but I could see His actions in my life and in the lives of other addicts and alcoholics. I began to envision myself walking hand-in-hand with my Higher Power on the road to recovery. I envisioned conversations with God along the way. As my spiritual consciousness improved, I began to see life more clearly. I could feel God's presence and His strength. I had been trapped in the prison of addiction; now I could see outside the box. Out there somewhere was my Higher Power, limitless in all of eternity. He was outside of the box, and now I was walking right beside Him. Do I walk with my Higher Power on the path of recovery?
Petitions to my Higher Power
God,
When I stop and think about all the good things that are happening in my life, I know that all this happens only through Your help. For all the gifts that You have given me along the way, I am grateful. Help me this day to keep my spiritual vision and see outside of the box. Let me walk hand-in-hand with You today.
Amen.