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June 17, 2009
Daily
Reflections
"DEEP DOWN WITHIN US"
We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last
analysis it is only there that He may be found. . . . search
diligently within yourself . . . With this attitude you
cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come
to you.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 55
It was out of the depths of loneliness, depression and despair
that I sought the help of A.A. As I recovered and began to
face the emptiness and ruin of my life, I began to open myself
to the possibility of the healing that recovery offers through
the A.A. program. By coming to meetings, staying sober, and
taking the Steps, I had the opportunity to listen with
increasing attentiveness to the depths of my soul. Daily I
waited, in hope and gratitude, for that sure belief and
steadfast love I had longed for in my life. In this process,
I met my God, as I understand Him.
***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
We in A.A. have the privilege of living two lives in one
lifetime. One life of drunkenness, failure, and defeat. Then,
through A.A., another life of sobriety, peace of mind, and
usefulness. We who have recovered our sobriety are modern
miracles. And we're living on borrowed time. Some of us might
have been dead long ago. But we have been given another chance
to live. Do I owe a debt of gratitude to A.A. that I can never
repay as long as I live?
Meditation For The Day
Thinking about God in love and worship drives away evil. It is
the thought before that the hosts of evil flee. The thought of
a Power greater than yourself is the call for a life-line to
rescue you from temptation. The thought of God banishes
loneliness and dispels gloom. It summons help to conquer your
faults. Think of God as often as possible. Use the thought
prayerfully and purposefully. It will carry your thoughts away
from material things and toward the spiritual things that make
life worthwhile.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may think of God often. I pray that I may rest in
peace at the thought of His love and care.
***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It
Accepting God's Gifts, p. 168
"Though many theologians hold that sudden spiritual experiences amount to a special
distinction, if not a divine appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every
human being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part of the divine
spiritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his place, and I cannot see that God
intends to exalt one another.
"So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive gifts we receive with a
deep humility, always bearing in mind that our negative attitudes were first necessary
as a means of reducing us to such a state of that we would be ready for a gift of the
positive ones via the conversion experience. Your own alcoholism and the
immense deflation that finally resulted are indeed the foundation upon which your
spiritual experience rests."
Letter, 1964
***********************************************************
Walk In Dry Places
Is the Golden Rule Applicable?
Inventory
Some people say the Golden Rule is impractical or believe it can work only if everybody begins following it at the same time.
We learn in 12 Step programs that the Golden Rule does work. We start by taking our own inventory, whether nor not others do. We make amends for our own wrongs, even when amends are not made to us. We think rightly about others, no matter how they think about us.
>From time to time, we also receive a cosmic hint that the Golden Rule is far more than a mere human ideal expressed in an ancient time. It really appears to be one way of stating a law of life. We should treat others as we want to be treated because, in time, this is how we will be treated.
Nothing will help me more with my program today than to practice the Golden Rule, even in the face of trying situations. This will show me, more than word ever can, that God is really in charge of my life.
***********************************************************
Keep It Simple
Each day provides its own gifts. ---Ruth D. Freedman
Life is full of wonderful gifts. Recovery is life's greatest gift to us. If we're not excited about being sober, we need to check ourselves. Are we keeping something secret? Is there a sadness we need to talk about? Are we stuffing anger? These things eat away at our excitement for life.
Many addicts never get the gift of recovery. Those of us in recovery are special. We've been given a new life. There will be hard times. But the joy of getting a second chance will be stronger. Am I grateful that I've been given recovery?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see recovery as a gift. I deserve this gift because I'm human. Help me to always accept this gift.
Action for the Day: At the end of the day, I'll list three gifts that this day has given me.
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Remember they are very ill.
p. 89
***********************************************************
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eleven - "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."
Sometimes we took a slightly different tack. Sure, we said to ourselves, the hen probably did come before the egg. No doubt the universe had a "first cause" of some sort, the God of the Atom, maybe, hot and cold by turns. But certainly there wasn't any evidence of a God who knew or cared about human beings. We liked A.A. all right, and were quick to say that it had done miracles. But we recoiled from meditation and prayer as obstinately as the scientist who refused to perform a certain experiment lest it prove his pet theory wrong. Of course we finally did experiment, and when unexpected results followed, we felt different; in fact we knew different; and so we were sold on meditation and prayer. And that, we have found, can happen to anybody who tries. It has been well said that "almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough."
p. 97
***********************************************************
When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to
step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of
two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to
stand on or you will be taught to fly.
--Edward Teller
Take time each day to seek out stillness, to find that sacred spot. Let
your mind and soul be at ease. Don't grasp and grab for the magic and
miracles. When you reside in that place of stillness, the joy, miracles,
and magic you're seeking will find you.
--Melody Beattie
"Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to
think."
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I only have to be what I am, no more, no less.
--Robbie Rocheford
Higher Power, help me to be open, flexible, and accepting in my
recovery.
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
SELF-LOVE
"Only a person who can live
with himself can enjoy the gift of
leisure."
--Henry Greber
As an addict I could not tolerate my own company for long. I was
forever telephoning somebody, going over to a friend's house, inviting
people in, creating an "occasion" so I did not have to think or, at least,
think about myself. Being alone terrified me. I was terrified because I
would begin to think about what was happening in my life and I did not
want to face it.
Spirituality is reality. Some years ago I decided to encounter the
"real" me, painful but necessary. I began to develop an awareness of
who I am. Acceptance followed: I am an alcoholic.
Today I know me; today I like me; today I can love me - and this
awareness brings with it a knowledge of God, self and my neighbor.
Today I can be alone without feeling lonely.
***********************************************************
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is
the right thing to do. "Honor your father and mother." This is the first
of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the
promise: If you honor your father and mother, "you will live a long
life, full of blessing." And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your
children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with
the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I
will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no
law.
Galatians 5:22, 23
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were
called in one body; and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15
***********************************************************
Daily Inspiration
The best thing to let go of is your past. Lord, the goodness of my past is part of whom I am now, but the rest only serves to pull me away from You. Help me to keep my thoughts only on this moment.
Imagine that you were paid for every kindness and charged for every unkindness. Would you be rich or poor? Lord, I often pray for material wealth. Let me not neglect my soul by now praying for the ability to build my spiritual wealth also.
"DEEP DOWN WITHIN US"
We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last
analysis it is only there that He may be found. . . . search
diligently within yourself . . . With this attitude you
cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come
to you.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 55
It was out of the depths of loneliness, depression and despair
that I sought the help of A.A. As I recovered and began to
face the emptiness and ruin of my life, I began to open myself
to the possibility of the healing that recovery offers through
the A.A. program. By coming to meetings, staying sober, and
taking the Steps, I had the opportunity to listen with
increasing attentiveness to the depths of my soul. Daily I
waited, in hope and gratitude, for that sure belief and
steadfast love I had longed for in my life. In this process,
I met my God, as I understand Him.
***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
We in A.A. have the privilege of living two lives in one
lifetime. One life of drunkenness, failure, and defeat. Then,
through A.A., another life of sobriety, peace of mind, and
usefulness. We who have recovered our sobriety are modern
miracles. And we're living on borrowed time. Some of us might
have been dead long ago. But we have been given another chance
to live. Do I owe a debt of gratitude to A.A. that I can never
repay as long as I live?
Meditation For The Day
Thinking about God in love and worship drives away evil. It is
the thought before that the hosts of evil flee. The thought of
a Power greater than yourself is the call for a life-line to
rescue you from temptation. The thought of God banishes
loneliness and dispels gloom. It summons help to conquer your
faults. Think of God as often as possible. Use the thought
prayerfully and purposefully. It will carry your thoughts away
from material things and toward the spiritual things that make
life worthwhile.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may think of God often. I pray that I may rest in
peace at the thought of His love and care.
***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It
Accepting God's Gifts, p. 168
"Though many theologians hold that sudden spiritual experiences amount to a special
distinction, if not a divine appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every
human being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part of the divine
spiritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his place, and I cannot see that God
intends to exalt one another.
"So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive gifts we receive with a
deep humility, always bearing in mind that our negative attitudes were first necessary
as a means of reducing us to such a state of that we would be ready for a gift of the
positive ones via the conversion experience. Your own alcoholism and the
immense deflation that finally resulted are indeed the foundation upon which your
spiritual experience rests."
Letter, 1964
***********************************************************
Walk In Dry Places
Is the Golden Rule Applicable?
Inventory
Some people say the Golden Rule is impractical or believe it can work only if everybody begins following it at the same time.
We learn in 12 Step programs that the Golden Rule does work. We start by taking our own inventory, whether nor not others do. We make amends for our own wrongs, even when amends are not made to us. We think rightly about others, no matter how they think about us.
>From time to time, we also receive a cosmic hint that the Golden Rule is far more than a mere human ideal expressed in an ancient time. It really appears to be one way of stating a law of life. We should treat others as we want to be treated because, in time, this is how we will be treated.
Nothing will help me more with my program today than to practice the Golden Rule, even in the face of trying situations. This will show me, more than word ever can, that God is really in charge of my life.
***********************************************************
Keep It Simple
Each day provides its own gifts. ---Ruth D. Freedman
Life is full of wonderful gifts. Recovery is life's greatest gift to us. If we're not excited about being sober, we need to check ourselves. Are we keeping something secret? Is there a sadness we need to talk about? Are we stuffing anger? These things eat away at our excitement for life.
Many addicts never get the gift of recovery. Those of us in recovery are special. We've been given a new life. There will be hard times. But the joy of getting a second chance will be stronger. Am I grateful that I've been given recovery?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see recovery as a gift. I deserve this gift because I'm human. Help me to always accept this gift.
Action for the Day: At the end of the day, I'll list three gifts that this day has given me.
***********************************************************
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
Chapter 7 - WORKING WITH OTHERS
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Remember they are very ill.
p. 89
***********************************************************
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eleven - "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."
Sometimes we took a slightly different tack. Sure, we said to ourselves, the hen probably did come before the egg. No doubt the universe had a "first cause" of some sort, the God of the Atom, maybe, hot and cold by turns. But certainly there wasn't any evidence of a God who knew or cared about human beings. We liked A.A. all right, and were quick to say that it had done miracles. But we recoiled from meditation and prayer as obstinately as the scientist who refused to perform a certain experiment lest it prove his pet theory wrong. Of course we finally did experiment, and when unexpected results followed, we felt different; in fact we knew different; and so we were sold on meditation and prayer. And that, we have found, can happen to anybody who tries. It has been well said that "almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough."
p. 97
***********************************************************
When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to
step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of
two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to
stand on or you will be taught to fly.
--Edward Teller
Take time each day to seek out stillness, to find that sacred spot. Let
your mind and soul be at ease. Don't grasp and grab for the magic and
miracles. When you reside in that place of stillness, the joy, miracles,
and magic you're seeking will find you.
--Melody Beattie
"Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to
think."
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I only have to be what I am, no more, no less.
--Robbie Rocheford
Higher Power, help me to be open, flexible, and accepting in my
recovery.
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
SELF-LOVE
"Only a person who can live
with himself can enjoy the gift of
leisure."
--Henry Greber
As an addict I could not tolerate my own company for long. I was
forever telephoning somebody, going over to a friend's house, inviting
people in, creating an "occasion" so I did not have to think or, at least,
think about myself. Being alone terrified me. I was terrified because I
would begin to think about what was happening in my life and I did not
want to face it.
Spirituality is reality. Some years ago I decided to encounter the
"real" me, painful but necessary. I began to develop an awareness of
who I am. Acceptance followed: I am an alcoholic.
Today I know me; today I like me; today I can love me - and this
awareness brings with it a knowledge of God, self and my neighbor.
Today I can be alone without feeling lonely.
***********************************************************
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is
the right thing to do. "Honor your father and mother." This is the first
of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the
promise: If you honor your father and mother, "you will live a long
life, full of blessing." And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your
children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with
the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I
will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no
law.
Galatians 5:22, 23
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were
called in one body; and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15
***********************************************************
Daily Inspiration
The best thing to let go of is your past. Lord, the goodness of my past is part of whom I am now, but the rest only serves to pull me away from You. Help me to keep my thoughts only on this moment.
Imagine that you were paid for every kindness and charged for every unkindness. Would you be rich or poor? Lord, I often pray for material wealth. Let me not neglect my soul by now praying for the ability to build my spiritual wealth also.
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Matthew 7:7
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