Trust God

 

Most of us awaken spiritually very slowly. Looking back on our more dangerous times and our miraculous survival helps us to believe that at least something like a guardian angel must have never been far away. And yet, much of the time many of us still struggle with the day-to-day turmoil of our recovery, trying to manage outcomes that are not ours to manage.

We complicate most events by our need to control what is clearly up to God to control. When we let go the outcome is generally to our satisfaction.

Spirit-consciousness

By submitting to God, we are released from the power of liquor. It has no more hold on us. We are also released from the things that were holding us down: pride, selfishness, and fear. And we are free to grow into a new life, which is so much better than the old life that there's no comparison. This release gives us serenity and peace with the world. Have I been released from the power of alcohol?

Meditation for the Day

We know God by spiritual vision. We feel that He is beside us. We feel His presence. Contact with God is not made by the senses. Spirit-consciousness replaces sight. Since we cannot see God, we have to perceive Him by spiritual perception.

To See...

Seeing something from another person’s point of view is an important spiritual awakening. That moment of understanding is a gift. We didn’t expect it, but suddenly it’s there. Our world grows larger because our view of that person changes. That, in turn, deepens our awareness and can deepen the relationship itself. Having others take the risk of sharing themselves is precious because it shows that we have proven worthy of their trust.

It’s a good feeling to sense the immediate connection that comes with understanding someone in a new way.

LEARNING TO LOVE OURSELVES

Alcoholism was a lonely business, even though we were surrounded by people who loved us . . . We were trying to find emotional security either by dominating or by being dependent upon others . . . We still vainly tried to be secure by some unhealthy sort of domination or dependence.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 252

When I did my personal inventory I found that I had unhealthy relationships with most people in my life - my friends and family, for example. I always felt isolated and lonely. I drank to dull emotional pain.

It was through staying sober, having a good sponsor and working the Twelve Steps that I was able to build up my low self-esteem. First the Twelve Steps taught me to become my own best friend, and then, when I was able to love myself, I could reach out and love others.
 

Anger

 

Anger doesn’t necessarily vanish just because we’ve come out or entered recovery. Our best selves would like to be generous to the employer who overlooks us for a promotion, to the old friend who tells us we could change if we’d just set our minds to it, and to the family that asks, “Where did we go wrong?” We’re sick of our old conflicts and resentments, but our anger and sense of injury keep overwhelming our desire to let go.

We need to find safe ways to acknowledge anger and to release the pain it may be covering. A trusted sponsor, a Twelve Step recovery meeting, or a therapist can hear us without denying or condemning our emotions. When we recognize, accept, and express our anger without judging it, we’ll be surprised at the mental and spiritual space we’ve created for new feelings.

Today, I don’t have to act out my anger. I acknowledge it and let it pass through me.

Power Greater

AA Thought for the Day

The AA program is one of submission, release, and action. When we’re drinking, we’re submitting to a power greater than ourselves—liquor. Our own wills are no use against the power of liquor. One drink and we’re sunk. In AA we stop submitting to the power of liquor. Instead, we submit to a Power, also greater than ourselves, which we call God. Have I submitted myself to my Higher Power?

Meditation for the Day

Ceaseless activity is not God’s plan for your life. Times of withdrawal for renewed strength are always necessary. Wait for the faintest tremor of fear and stop all work, everything, and rest before God until you are strong again. Deal in the same way with all tired feelings. Then you need rest of body and renewal of spirit-force. Saint Paul said: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” This does not mean that you are to do all things and then rely on God to find strength. It means that you are to do the things you believe

Branches

 

If what I say resonates with you, it’s because we are both branches of the same tree.

~W. B. Yeats

Once we begin our recovery, we have an instant bond with others in recovery; they seem to understand us pretty well even if they haven’t known us very long. This is because we have a lot in common. We have the same disease. When we hear other addicts tell their stories, we know what they have gone through because it is a lot like what we have gone through.

The disease does similar things to us all. Yet each of us is unique and different, like the branches of a tree.

Big Book Meeting

Saturday
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9 am Central
8 am Mountain
7 am Pacific

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81183210481

Cruel Words

We can never take back our cruel words.

Sometimes we want to hurt others. Maybe it’s because we are feeling inadequate and jealous: We don’t want them to get ahead of us, so we try to deflate their happiness. Maybe it’s because they are not living up to our expectations. Or maybe it’s because they continue using alcohol and other drugs, ignoring our pleas to stop. We may have dozens of reasons for wanting to inflict cruelty on others, but none is justified.

Learning the value of pausing, even for that brief moment before speaking, will bring us immediate rewards. Amends-making will be a simpler, less time-consuming task when we pause before responding to others. But more important, we will feel better about ourselves when we treat others with the respect they deserve. Every cruel word we inflict on another person will come back to us. So will every kindness. Furthermore, every time we show respect for others, we will be showered with greater respect too.

I can pause before I respond to people and remember respect is a two-way street.

 

Chaos

 

The forces of chaos and forces of order are always at work in the world. While many things are being built up, many are wearing down. It is a good thing, because life would be very boring in an unchanging state. But the chaos we met in our lives was often extreme and unusually destructive. We had to recognize it and feel the pain of it before we could build a new order. Looking back, we can see that our First Step was just such an event.

All people have small chaotic events in their lives every day. If we take a moment and reflect on our present lives, we can certainly become aware of some ways in which things are in disarray. By simply letting ourselves know it in this moment, we get ready for the new order to begin.

I pray for courage and honesty to see the chaos that exists today. Help me become ready for the new order to evolve.