September 15

HIS WILL, NOT MINE

“We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 76

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42

For what it's worth: There was no willingness during my active alcoholism, except for that next drink. Once I was sober in Alcoholics Anonymous, it seemed all I heard was about willingness being indispensable. But, in my weakness, I had to ask God for help to be willing in just about everything that required willingness. Now I can be willing in the easy and usually even the heavy and difficult. I must admit, when it is real tough, I ask God for a break, and, if none comes, I beg Him to make me want His will, not mine.

God bless you!
Joe W.

September 16

MERCY

"...We ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken." Alcoholics Anonymous, page 86

"Lord, how great is your mercy; in your justice, give me back my life." Psalm 119: 156

For what it's worth: Alcoholism stole my life. I was forced into a miserable self-centered existence, alone, insecure, and afraid of God. I had severely disappointed Him and even cursed Him. When I finally but reluctantly came to Alcoholics Anonymous, I was too diseased to appreciate what was happening, but looking back I realize I sensed God’s presence there, and I was frightened. But the people and the atmosphere there were so warm and welcoming; I stayed and found hope my life might be given back. And, indeed, it has been. Even more rewarding, Alcoholics Anonymous people taught me about a loving, forgiving God, and I slowly came to believe He would forgive me. And, indeed, He has. But my weaknesses, my defects, keep trying to steal my life again and throw me back into that miserable self-centered existence. I am grateful I have been given the Twelve Steps, especially Steps 6, 7, and 10 where I find God’s benevolence and forgiveness. I can not count the times my Higher Power has extended His love and mercy and protected the precious spiritual life that selfish distractions try to steal from me.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 17

WHAT A DIFFERENCE

"Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!" Alcoholics Anonymous, page 181

"The one thing I know - God is for me!" Psalm 56:9

For what it’s worth: God was against me and I did not trust Him. I blamed Him, not the alcohol, for my misery. I realized how wrong I was only after I was sober for years in Alcoholics Anonymous when I found a Higher Power, my Heavenly Father. He has proven His love repeatedly, especially during times when it seems the stormy days just keep coming. Trusting God’s love is a significant change down deep in my soul. It keeps me trudging when I don't feel like trudging. It keeps me intact when I feel like I'm falling apart. It is my soul's warmth when it feels empty and cold. It is a treasured gift from my Heavenly Father. What a difference it is to know He is for me and will never let me down!

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 18

FRIENDS

“...To watch loneliness vanish...to have a host of friends...” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 89

“No one cares what happens to me.” Psalm 142: 4

For what it's worth: There was no one left to care. My drunken behavior had driven everyone away except the cockroaches that resided at my little hellhole in Baltimore. And they did not care. The agony of that aloneness is still vivid in my memory. That is why I treasure having “a host of friends" as I do in Alcoholics Anonymous. And an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is a healthy place to go to be with them. They always accept me just as I am, and that is another priceless gift. God is so kind to this once miserable, lonely, worthless drunk!

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 19

GROWING UP

“(Recovery) has enabled me to go back and start growing up all over again in all areas of my life.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 420 (Third Edition)

“But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13: 11

For what it's worth: Alcohol poured on top of my emotional immaturity created an eruption that blasted burning coals over everyone and every thing in my life. Insanely, I drank more alcohol to stop the fires. No wonder I ended up alone with the Baltimore cockroaches. Thank God and Alcoholics Anonymous, the alcohol and cockroaches are gone. I was blessed to be able to start over and I am no longer alone. However, I am still growing up. Childish responses to life on life's terms can stubbornly persist and "his majesty, the baby" in me acts out. I am grateful to be able to identify the stubborn, little kid and to have some "Oh, grow up!" tools to use on him.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 20

The Daily Reprieve
HOW TRULY LOVING

“The power of God goes deep!” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 114

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” Psalm 145:3

For what it's worth: How arrogant of me to think God could never reach me! In reality, He did not need to reach me. He was there the whole time, daily protecting me, especially during many near death experiences. Moreover, just at the right moment when I surrendered and was willing to accept it, He carried me to Alcoholics Anonymous. I never would have gotten here on my own. Since that day, August 8, 1974, I can not begin to keep track of all the blessings I have received from my Higher Power. Just counting the one-day-at-a-times of sobriety is staggering. That is especially true when I think of all those days I craved a drink; the days I did not believe I could make it; the times when I was severely depressed; those periods of being in a spiritual desert; and, all the just-want-to-escape days. In addition to counting all the days God grace kept me sober, when I think of all His other blessings in every other aspect of my life throughout those years, and the multitude of times when I was not even aware of God at work in my life, I realize there is no way to fathom how truly loving my Heavenly Father is, has been, and will continue to me to me!

God bless you!

Joe W.

September 21

SACRED SANCTUARY

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7

"To those of us who have hitherto known only excitement, depression, or anxiety -- in other words, to all of us -- this newfound peace is a priceless gift." Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 74

For what it's worth: God did not care for me; I slapped Him in the face too often. I existed in this self-built insane asylum until the day I attended my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting on August 8, 1974. There, despite my prideful resistance, the gifts of sobriety and the Twelve Steps combined with the example of members to free me to come to sane beliefs about God, the world, and me. God's grace has opened my heart, mind, and soul to a safe and holy place of peace where I am wrapped in His loving arms. Why, after many years of sobriety and daily practice of proven principles, am I so often slow and dimwitted about throwing off my burdens and entering my Heavenly Father's sacred sanctuary of serenity?

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 22

"WORLDLY CLAMORS"

"Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him." 1 John 2:16 (The Message)

"But soon the sense of His presence had been blotted out by worldly clamors, mostly those within myself." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 13

For what it's worth: Alcoholism's self-centeredness presented itself as the path to worldly success. Of course, this proved to be a lie. Instead, it blocked me from all things spiritual and created a painfully empty soul. I was isolated from God and deaf to His will until I found the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Years of living these Steps, however, did not cure me of selfish "worldly clamors". I have to beg my Heavenly Father each morning to free me from bondage of self so I can hear and do His will throughout the day.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 23

LIVE TODAY ACCORDINGLY

"Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse." Joel 2:14

"What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition."

For what it's worth: Alcoholism was my curse, and I did not believe there would ever be any blessings in my miserable alcoholic life. But, God was merciful. He rescued me from the gates of hell, placed me on a path to heaven on earth, and offered me a daily reprieve. Alcoholics Anonymous has taught me today is the most important day in my life. This day is the first day in the rest of my life - and perhaps my last. Each morning I thank my Heavenly Father and seek His help to live this day accordingly.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 24

HIS MASTERPIECE

“He saw that he would have to face his problems squarely that God might give him mastery.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 156

“For we are God's masterpiece.” Ephesians 2:10

For what it's worth: If I was God's masterpiece, He was a starving artist; too many blemishes and blank spots on the painting for me to be considered worthwhile. Add the alcohol, and I was merely a smeared canvas, worthless. Miraculously, instead of dying a drunken waste, I was given the most precious gift of my life. Thanks to years of sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous, I found the truth - I am God's masterpiece. And I do not want to be satisfied with simply wiping the alcohol off of the campus. I want to repair all of the flaws that deface the masterpiece so that its true value will show and the Artist will be given His due praise.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 25

THE WAY TO PEACE

"In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them." Alcoholics Anonymous, page 50

"Peace be with you." John 20:19

For what it's worth: There would be no peace. My whole being was at war with itself. Alcohol provided a short cease-fire, but never peace. That was not possible until I faced near death and finally surrendered. Initially, I believed I was accepting total defeat by walking into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. I did not realize those were my first steps to a lasting peace. It would be a long journey with miles of construction necessary. But I never have to work alone as I did with alcohol. I have a new Boss. He helps me turn my whole being over to Him each new day, and we work together with the necessary repairs as we progress up Twelve Steps to eternal peace.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 26

SELF-PUNISHMENT

“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 417 (449)

“God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” Romans 3:23-24

For what it's worth: I nearly died in drunken despair, believing the Almighty Avenger was punishing me - as I deserved. Alcoholics Anonymous taught me otherwise. I was doing the punishment, not God. He forgives me and accepts me just as I am. My job in sobriety is to learn to forgive and accept myself as does my Creator. That requires full time employment in a hard hat construction area, rebuilding my entire belief system. With God's grace, I have made progress, but I need to keep on my hard hat and be careful no form of self punishment falls on me today; it is easy for me to feel undeserving of my Heavenly Father’s overwhelming kindness and slip into some insidious way of beating up on myself.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 27

ALIKE

"Then one night at an AA meeting a friend said that even though he had been in jail and done lots of stuff, he was no different from me. He felt the same thing. It was then that I knew I was not unique, that the people did understand the pain inside me." Alcoholics Anonymous, page 378

"And city dwellers and farmers and shepherds alike will live together in peace and happiness." Jeremiah 31:24

For what it's worth: No one understood me, nor ever would. I felt different, alone and isolated when I was drinking. The agony of my alcoholic despair drove me to seek help. And, what a blessing I found! Alcoholics Anonymous showed me that in sobriety I am not unique, and I am not alone. The people in Alcoholics Anonymous understand my thoughts and feelings. Despite our differences we are alike. That sounds like a contradiction, but I have witnessed that truth. They always join with me when I need support. All I need do is have enough humility to let them know I need help.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 28

CHANGING DIRECTION

A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole. 12&12 p.15

“Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 1:21

For what it's worth: Alcohol was my road down to the depths of hell. I was near there when I finally changed direction, somehow being guided to Alcoholics Anonymous. There I was given Twelve Steps that turned out to be more than just an avenue out of hell. Practiced daily, the Program and Principles of Alcoholics Anonymous are a twelve lane highway to a destination I never believed possible for me. On this road I experience peace and joy in this life while driving to be with my Heavenly Father in eternity. But I have to let Him drive.

God bless you.
Joe W.

September 29

KEEP SEARCHING

"We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe." Alcoholics Anonymous, page 75

"Search for the Lord and for his strength, and keep on searching.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

For what it's worth: Alcoholism, self-will, and resentment caused far more spiritual sickness than I realized. When I finally arrived at Alcoholics Anonymous, I was searching for relief only, certainly not the Lord. Obviously, that did not stop Him from showing Himself through the people of Alcoholics Anonymous. Thanks to following them, doing what they did to get the spiritually they had. I have experienced the goodness and joy of “walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe”, and I want more, so I “keep on searching”. The spiritual highway is, indeed, broad, and I try to broaden my search. But, on the days I am spiritually weak, I need to watch for complacency, and even down right resistance. I question my efforts in my daily inventory, and talk with my Heavenly Father about necessary improvements.

God bless you.
Joe W.