A Prayer & Some Thoughts - July
 

July 1

Prayer When You Feel Rushed

God,

Give us the strength we need to say no to the temptation of trying to do it all. Help us to use your wisdom in every decision, allowing you to work out the details, instead of trying to do things all on our own. Forgive us, Lord, for not trusting you enough, for truly, that’s the root of our constant striving. Help us to remember that all things are possible with you, and you are able to do in just a moment, what would take us years to work out on our own. Please help us when we struggle.
Amen

~ Charles Van Gath

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Just a Thought

Participating in a meeting helps more than ourselves.

If we get up in a meeting and say something about ourselves in order to help the other person, we feel a whole lot better. It's the old law of the more you give the more you get. Witnessing and confession are part of keeping sober. You never know when you may help somebody. Helping others is one of the best ways to stay sober yourself. And the satisfaction you get out of helping a fellow human being is one of the finest experiences you can have.

So ............

Am I helping others?

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Just a Contemplation

Power

In Step One, we accept our powerlessness over alcohol. But we are powerless over many parts of life. We are powerless over other people. We are powerless over what our HP has planned for us.

Before recovery, we only believed in control. We tried to control everything. We fought against a basic truth, the truth that we are powerless over much of life. When we accept this truth, we begin to see what power we do have. We have the power to make choices. When we're lonely, we have the power to reach out to others. We have power over how we live our own lives.

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A Possibility

The idea that religion and spirituality were not one and the same was a new notion. My sponsor asked that I merely remain open-minded to the possibility that there was a Power greater than myself, one of my own understanding. . . Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was something to this spiritual lifestyle. Slowly but surely, I realized there was indeed a Power greater than myself.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 287

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Just a Quote

“Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings.” ~ Mike Bree

July 3


Prayer to Battle Depression

Lord,
Help me to see if there is something physical that is causing my depression. Help me to sift through my circumstances to see if there is a need for change in some way. If I am experiencing depression as a result of a spiritual battle, please bring that to light and show me the best way to fight that battle. Today I surrender my depression to you and ask that you give me power and peace to win this battle once and for all. When my thoughts begin to spiral, may your promises and blessings bring healing.
Amen

~ Adrian Rogers

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Just a Thought

One of the finest things about A.A. is the sharing.

Sharing is a wonderful thing because the more you share the more you have. In our old drinking days, we didn't do much sharing. We used to keep things to ourselves, partly because we were ashamed, but mostly because we were selfish. And we were very lonely because we didn't share. When we came into A.A., the first thing we found was sharing. We heard other alcoholics frankly sharing their experiences with hospitals, jails, and all the usual mess that goes with drinking.

So ............

Am I sharing?

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Just a Contemplation

Expectations

So often our expectations exceed reality. We want more than we have; our homes, our loved ones, perhaps our jobs seem not to measure up. "If only. . ." we say to ourselves. The time has come to quit saying "if only" and be glad, instead, for what is.

We do have friends and family who care about us. We do have exactly what we need at this moment. We each can make a contribution today for the good of someone else and thus for ourselves. And in the act of looking to this day--to giving something to another human being - we will sense the inner perfection we mistakenly long for in our outer selves.

I can look around me today and be thankful. I will tell someone close that I'm glad we share one another's world.

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Complete Defeat

Every newcomer is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip. So it is that we first see humility as a necessity. But this is the barest beginning. To get completely away from our aversion to the idea of being humble, to gain a vision of humility as the avenue to true freedom of the human spirit, to be willing to work for humility as something to be desired for itself, takes most of us a long, long time. A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness cannot be set in reverse all at once.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Pages 72-73

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Just a Quote

“Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.” ~ Annette Funicello

July 3

Prayer for Relieving Anxiety & Stress

God,
I come before you full of fear and anxiety.
I ask that you help me through this day, this hour, and each and every moment.
I lay every problem and worry before you.
I will focus on the fact that you love and care for me.
I will allow you to carry my burdens as you surround me with peace, joy, and contentment.
Thank you, Lord, for all that you have and will do for me.
Amen

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Just a Thought

What makes A.A. work?

The first thing is to have a revulsion against myself and my way of living. Then I must admit I was helpless, that alcohol had defeated me and I couldn't do anything about it. The next thing is to honestly want to quit the old life. Then I must surrender my life to a Higher Power, put my drinking problem in His hands and leave it there. After these things are done, I should attend meetings regularly for fellowship and sharing. I should also try to help other alcoholics.

So ............

Am I doing these things?

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Just a Contemplation

Isolation

For years I thought that I was alone; lost, isolated and afraid. Today I understand this to be a symptom of my alcoholism, an aspect of my disease. Alcoholism is "cunning, baffling and powerful"; it is a mystery that we have only begun to understand. One thing we know, the disease, the "ism" of alcoholism, involves more than the act of drinking. Feelings of inadequacy, isolation and fear keep us from recovering until we discover the spiritual strength to confront the disease in our lives. The initial risk of "letting go" and trusting others is an essential part of the recovery process.

When we discover that we are not alone, then relationships and hope are reactivated; life is worth living again.

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No If's

Alcoholism respects no ifs. It does not go away, not even for a week, for a day, or even for an hour, leaving us nonalcoholic and able to drink again on some special occasion or for some extraordinary reason -- not even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, or if a big sorrow hits us, or if it rains in Spain or the stars fall on Alabama.
Alcoholism is for us unconditional, with no dispensations available at any price.

Living Sober Page 63

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Just a Quote

"Often we want to be shown the big picture but it is not always in our best interest as we can easily become overwhelmed." ~ Madisyn Taylor

July 4


Freedom From Alcohol Prayer

Lord,
Some people who are addicted to alcohol want to quit and live sober, but they're finding it hard to stop.
They need your divine intervention.
Strengthen them in their inner being that they may be able to deal with withdrawal symptoms without falling back into the temptation of drinking.
Make the crooked paths in the recovery journey straight that they may conquer all the setbacks that have been set before them.
Amen

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A 4th of July Prayer

We lift up our hearts, O God, on this day of celebration in gratitude for the gift of being Americans.

We rejoice with all those who share in the great dream of freedom and dignity for all.

With flags and feasting, with family and friends we salute those who have sacrificed that we might have the opportunity to bring to fulfill our many God-given gifts.

As we deny all prejudice a place in our hearts, may we also clearly declare our intention to work for the time when all people, regardless of race, religion, or sex, will be granted equal dignity and worth.

~ Fr. Ed Hays

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Just a Thought

Freedom in sobriety.

Means going out socially sober and having a great time. It means waking up in the morning without shaking or vomiting. It means showing up sober for your children. It means being a loving member of a family that can be counted on. It means hope, faith, and peace. It means living a life beyond your wildest dreams.

So ............

Am I living my wildest dreams yet??

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Just a Contemplation

Freedom to Choice

Human beings are not puppets. Sometimes when you hear people talk about God and prayer, they imply that we have no choice and that all actions in life are determined by God alone: a moment's reflection should make us hesitate from such a viewpoint. Murder, rape, child molestation and prejudice do not stem from God but are the results of God's gift of freedom to mankind.

Alcoholics need to comprehend on a daily basis that prayers that are not accompanied by actions are mere words. God's love for man does not obliterate man's need to love himself through choice and decision. Sobriety and serenity should be experienced in our lives when divinity is revealed in our choice.

God, help me to appreciate my involvement in my desire to be a winner.


"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." ~ Albert Camus

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Resentment

“If you have a resentment you want to be free of, if you will pray for the person or the thing that you resent, you will be free. If you will ask in prayer for everything you want for yourself to be given to them, you will be free. Ask for their health, their prosperity, their happiness, and you will be free. Even when you don’t really want it for them and your prayers are only words and you don’t mean it, go ahead and do it anyway. Do it every day for two weeks, and you will find you have come to mean it and to want it for them, and you will realize that where you used to feel bitterness and resentment and hatred, you now feel compassionate understanding and love.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Page 552

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Just a Quote

"First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you." — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

July 5


Calm My Troubled Mind Prayer

Dear Lord,

Calm my troubled mind
Still my worried heart
Guide my endless thoughts
Come and leave your mark.

Shelter my tired body
Lift my heavy soul
Quiet my deepest fears
Come and make me whole.

Carry my deepest hurt
Cover my open wounds
Restore my abandoned dreams
Come and hold my life.

Open my ears to hear
Shower my life with praise
Full up my thoughts with truth
Stay by me every day.
Amen

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Just a Thought

I shall be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, creative in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes.

I shall give A.A. my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and most of all, myself. The Lord's Prayer has become part of my A.A. thoughts for each day: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil."

So ............

Have I given myself?

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Just a Contemplation

Reliving Yesterdays

Two of the most useless phrases in the English language are "what if" and "if only." We waste so much time and energy thinking about what we might have done and wishing we had acted or reacted differently. We imagine how things might have turned out "if only . . ."

All of us make mistakes. To go back and wonder and wish about our yesterdays prevents us from living fully today. Each day is a fresh chance; a new beginning. We can only squeeze what we can out of the moment and let the drops fall where they may. Some will evaporate and some will form rainbows.

I need to forget about yesterday and start a fresh new day.

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Surrender

On the face of it, surrendering certainly does not seem like winning. But it is in AA Only after we have come to the end of our rope, hit a stone wall in some aspect of our lives beyond which we can go no further; only when we hit "bottom" in despair and surrender, can we accomplish sobriety which we could never accomplish before. We must, and we do, surrender in order to win.

Alcoholics Anonymous, 2nd Edition, Pages 341-2

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Just a Quote

“Surrender is a journey from outer turmoil to inner peace.” ~ Sri Chinmoy

July 6


Prayer for Family's Strength

Dear Lord,
Our family is struggling with fear and confusion.
We need your strength and power in our lives.
We need to sense your comfort and peace.
Wrap your arms around us and fill us with your love.
I pray for every member of my family.
You know each of our individual fears and needs.
Supply us all with the strength we need to keep going and comfort us as we continue along the journey of life.
Amen

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Just a Thought

Continuance means our staying with prospects after they have started on the new way of living.

We must stick with them and not let them down. We must encourage them to go to meetings regularly for fellowship and help. They will learn that keeping sober is a lot easier in the fellowship of others who are trying to do the same thing. We must continue to help prospects by going to see them regularly or telephoning them or writing to them so that they don't get out of touch with A.A. Continuance means good sponsorship.

So ............

Do I care enough about other alcoholics to continue with them as long as necessary?

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Just a Contemplation

We

We. This little word says a lot about the Twelve Steps. Our addiction made us lonely. The "we" of the program makes us whole again. It makes us a member of a living, growing group of people. Our addiction isolated us from others. We couldn't be honest. We felt a lot of shame. But all this is in the past. The "we" of the program helps us live outside ourselves. Now we tell each other about our pasts. We comfort each other. We try to help each other.

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“Our” Serenity Prayer

In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New York member. In an obituary notice from a local paper, there appeared these words: "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Never had we seen so much AA in so few words. With amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.

As Bill Sees It, p. 108

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Just a Quote

“Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgement of the facts of the situation. Then deciding what to do with it.” ~ Kathleen Casey Theisen

July 7

Humility Prayer

Lord,
I am far too often influenced by what others think of me.
I am always pretending to be either richer or smarter or nicer than I really am.
Please prevent me from trying to attract attention.
Don't let me gloat over praise on one hand or be discouraged by criticism on the other.
Nor let me waste time weaving imaginary situations in which the most heroic, charming, witty person present is myself.
Show me how to be humble of heart, like you.

~ Author Unknown

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Just a Thought

Prospects must be convinced that they honestly want to stop drinking.

They must see and admit that their life is unmanageable. They must face the fact that they must do something about their drinking. They must be absolutely honest with themselves and face themselves as they really are. They must be convinced that they must give up drinking and they must see that their whole life depends on this conviction.

So ............

Do I care enough about other alcoholics to help them reach this conviction?

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Just a Contemplation

Awareness

When we first become aware of a problem, a situation, or a feeling, we may react with anxiety or fear. There is no need to fear awareness. No need.

Awareness is the first step toward positive change and growth. It's the first step toward solving the problem, or getting the need met, the first step toward the future. It's how we focus on the next lesson.

Awareness is how life, the Universe, and our Higher Power get our attention and prepare us for change. The process of becoming changed begins with awareness. Awareness, acceptance, and change - that's the cycle. We can accept the temporary discomfort from awareness because that's how we're moved to a better place. We can accept the temporary discomfort because we can trust God, and ourselves.

Today, I will be grateful for any awareness I encounter. I will display gratitude, peace, and dignity when life gets my attention. I will remember that it's okay to accept the temporary discomfort from awareness because I can trust that it's my Higher Power moving me forward.

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Three Choices

The immediate object of our quest is sobriety--freedom from alcohol and from all its baleful consequences. Without this freedom, we have nothing at all.

Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the alcohol obsession until we become willing to deal with those character defects which have landed us in that helpless condition. In this freedom quest, we are always given three choices.

A rebellious refusal to work upon our glaring defects can be an almost certain ticket to destruction. Or, perhaps for a time, we can stay sober with a minimum of self-improvement and settle ourselves into a comfortable but often dangerous mediocrity. Or, finally, we can continuously try hard for those sterling qualities that can add up to fineness of spirit and action--true and lasting freedom under God.

As Bill Sees It Page 327

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Just a Few Quotes

"Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one's awareness of one's ignorance." ~Anthony de Mello

"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance." ~Nathaniel Branden

July 8


Help Me This Day

Lord, help me to live this day quietly, peacefully.
To lean upon Thy great strength trustfully, restfully.
To wait for the unfolding of Thy will patiently, serenely.
To meet others peacefully, joyously.
To face tomorrow confidently, courageously.
Amen

~ Saint Francis Of Assisi

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Just a Thought

Getting sober was a long and painful journey, but we can truthfully say it was worth it.

We know now that all we've been through led us to A.A. and was part of our spiritual journey. We found it in A.A. what we had been vainly seeking in the bottle. We've learned that our journey goes on as we continue to deal with our shortcomings and the human problems everybody must face. And when we reach a crossroads or a roadblock, we know that our Higher Power will come to our aid in making the right choices and surmounting all obstacles.

So ............

Do I turn to my Higher Power to sustain me as I continue the spiritual journey that brought me to A.A.?

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Just a Contemplation

Choice

At times, we'll go through pain and hardship, At times, we'll have doubts. At times, we'll get angry and think we just don't care anymore. These things can spiritually blind us. But this is normal. Hopefully, we'll be ready for those times. Hopefully, we will have friends who will be there for you. Thank God for these moments! Yes, hard times can make our spirits deep and strong. These moments tell us who we are as sober people. These moments help us grow and change. Spirituality is about choice. To be spiritual, we must turn ourselves over to the care of our Higher Power.

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New

From: "Winner Takes All"
In working the steps, my life changed. I think differently today; I feel different today. I am new. We have a sign at the AA meetings I go to that says, Expect a Miracle. My sobriety is full of miracles. When my son filled out an application for college, I filled one out too, and was accepted. Soon I will be a senior and I have a 3.71 grade point average. Thanks to AA, I have come a long way from being near the bottom of my high school class. It takes me a bit longer to read the material, so I have a CCTV (I put my book under the camera and it comes out in big print on a monitor). I have a talking calculator that helped me get through statistics and a telescope that can help me see the board. I accept help from the disabled student services and gladly make use of the volunteer note takers.
I learned to accept the things I could not change (in this case my vision) and change the things I can (I could be grateful for and accept the visual aids instead of being embarrassed and rejecting them as I had when I was younger).

Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, pages 380-381

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Just a Quote

“If you can’t do anything about it, then let it go. Don’t be a prisoner to things you can’t change” – Tony Gaskins

July 9


Relief of Stress and Anxiety Prayer

Lord,
The stresses in my life often reach a dangerous proportion—or so it seems. My body, mind, and spirit struggle to keep up physically, mentally, and yes, spiritually. Some days anxiety stalks me like a deceitful predator, and the temptation to worry draws me in. I know better, but some days the challenges outweigh the truths buried inside. My trust in You fades into the background, giving fear and concerns permission to discourage me.

Whether the anxiety stems from work, parenting, finances, physical issues, or even world conditions, You are there, Lord, to shoulder the weight. Teach me to recognize the stressful trials as tools for you to shape me and rearrange me. Through those difficult times, You will teach me patience, enlarge my faith, and help me see things I couldn't see earlier—if I will only let You. When I'm clueless as to what to do, Lord, I want to turn to you first, not last.
Amen

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Just a Thought

In A.A. we learn that we can be uniquely useful people.

We can help other alcoholics when perhaps somebody who has not had our experience with drinking could not help them. That makes us uniquely useful. The A.A.s are a unique group of people because they have taken their own greatest defeat and failure and sickness and used it as a means of helping others. We who have been through the same thing are the ones who can best help other alcoholics.

So ............

Do I believe that I can be uniquely useful?

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Just a Contemplation

Laughing

We laugh when others do something silly. We're amused when something funny happens to them. But if the same happens to us and people laugh, we might give them the evil eye. Yet, when others laugh, it can free us. It frees us to see the world through new eyes. Likewise, when we laugh at ourselves, we're free to see ourselves with new eyes. Instead of trying to be perfect, we accept we're human. To laugh at ourselves is to accept ourselves. There's no room for shame when we laugh. We enjoy ourselves just as we are.

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To Grow Up

Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for complete approval, utter security, and perfect romance--urges quite appropriate to age seventeen--prove to be an impossible way of life at forty-seven or fifty-seven.

Since A.A. began, I've taken huge wallops in all these areas because of my failure to grow up, emotionally and spiritually.

As Bill Sees It Page 330

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Just a Quote


“Remember, most of your stress comes from the way you respond, not the way life is. Adjust your attitude, and all that extra stress is gone.” ~ Anonymous A.A.

July 10


Discouragement Prayer

Lord,
I come to You today, feeling discouraged and worn out emotionally.
I ask for You to renew me inwardly. I know that what I’m going through is temporary.
Please help me to focus on the things that are positive and uplifting, rather than these things that are wearing me down because they are transient.
Please restore, confirm, strengthen and reestablish me.
Amen

~ John Driscoll

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Just a Thought

When we were drinking most of us were full of pride and selfishness.

We believed we could handle our own affairs, even though we were making a mess of our lives. We were very stubborn and didn't like to take advice. We resented being told what to do. To us, humility looked like weakness. But when we came into A.A., we began to be humble. And we found out that humility gave us the power we needed to overcome drinking.

So ............

Have I learned that there is power in humility?

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Just a Contemplation

Laughter

We are told that laughter is sunshine filling a room. And where there is laughter, there also is life. They say that people who laugh a lot live longer than the sour-faced. When we laugh together, gratitude comes more easily, companionship thrives, and all praise is sincere. Laughter brings us joy that cannot be bought. Such joy is with us throughout each day. To hoard joy, to hide it away deep within us away from others, will make us lonely misers. We cannot buy or trade for joy, but we can give or receive it as a gift.

Laughter's joy celebrates the moment we are living right now. It is a gift we must share, or it will wither and die. Shared, it grows and thrives, and always returns to us when we need it most.

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Belonging

There is no more 'aloneness,' with that awful ache, so deep in the heart of every alcoholic that nothing, before, could ever reach it. That ache is gone and never need return again. Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved. In return for a bottle and a hangover, we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 312 (3rd Edition)

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Just a Quote

“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” ~ Calvin & Hobbes

July 11

Serving Others Prayer

Lord,
Allow me to serve others with a joyful heart;
Never keeping score;
Always giving;
Never expecting to receive.
Allow me to give of myself,
To give of my talents and of my goods,
To give of my time and of my energy,
To give of my heart and of my soul.
Help me understand the needs of others,
Never criticizing,
Never demeaning,
Never scolding,
Never condemning.
You have been so gracious to me,
Always Loving,
Always forgiving,
Always restoring;
Never gloating over my defeats,
Even when I have been so wrong.
Father, keep a condemning spirit
Far from my heart and further from my lips.
Allow me to serve others as You serve,
With gentleness, compassion, and tenderness,
Never diminishing the worth of another,
Choosing to extend mercy to the brokenhearted,
Like You have repeatedly shown it to me,
Amen.

~Jack Watts

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Just a Thought


When we were drinking, most of us never thought of helping others.
We liked to buy drinks for people, because that made us feel like big shots. But we only used others for our own pleasure. To really go out and try to help somebody who needed help never occurred to us. To us, helping others looked like a sucker's game. But when we came into A.A., we began to try to help others. And we found out that helping others made us happy and also helped us to stay sober.

So ............

Have I learned that there is happiness in helping others?


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Just a Contemplation

Easier Way

When we used alcohol, we did most things the hard way. We could turn a simple task into a day-long project. We could turn a simple problem into an argument. We were creative giants in doing things the hard way! We need to change this. We deserve easier lives. It's okay to take the smooth road .


In our program ,We have slogans for this: Keep It Simple, Let Go and Let God, First Things First, and Easy Does It. These slogans remind us that it's okay to live with as little trouble as possible.

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Belief

One of the oldtimers used the electricity metaphor, which I later found in the Big Book. 'A person walking into a dark room does not worry about understanding electricity,' he said. 'He just finds the switch and turns on the light.' He explained that we can turn on the switch of spirituality by simply asking God each morning for another day of sobriety and thanking Him at night for another beautiful sober day. He said, 'Do it mechanically if you really don't believe in it. But do it every day. There is probably no one who really understands the wonderful ways of the Higher Power, and we don't need to. He understands us.

Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, Page 30

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Just a Quote

"Serving others breaks you free from the shackles of self and self-absorption that choke out the joy of living." ~ James Hunter

July 12


Gratitude Prayer


Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family.
Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness.
Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives.
Thank you for friends, for health and for grace.
May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.
Amen

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Just a Thought

The longer we're in A.A., the more natural this way of life seems.

Our old drinking lives were a very unnatural way of living. Our present sober lives are the most natural way we could possibly live. During the early years of our drinking, our lives weren't so different from the lives of a lot of other people. But as we gradually became problem drinkers, our lives became more and more unnatural.

So ............

Do I realize now that the things I did were far from natural?

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Just a Contemplation

Different

When we were using alcohol we often thought that we were different from others. We secretly thought that no one could understand us. Maybe we tried to be one of the group, but we were lonely. Now we know for sure--we are different from others. Everyone's unique. We all have this in common. Being like others helps us feel safe and normal. But we need to feel good about the ways we're different from others too. We think a little differently, act a little different, and look a little different from anyone else. We each have our own way to make life better for others.

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Belonging

Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless. The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence that surrounds us in purely human affairs.
We know that God lovingly watches over us.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Page 105

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Just a Quote

"Letting go of your painful past is how you open yourself to a wonderful future." ~ Bryant H. McGill

July 13


Prayer for Hope

Lord,
I come before you today in need of hope. There are times when I fell helpless, There are times when I feel weak. I pray for hope. I need hope for a better future. I need hope for a better life. I need hope for love and kindness.

Some say that the sky is at its darkest just before the light. I pray that this is true, for all seems dark. I need your light, Lord, in every way.

I pray to be filled with your light. To bask in your glory. To know that all is right in the world, as you have planned, and as you want it to be.

Help me to walk in your light, and live my life in faith.

Amen

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Just a Thought

Some things I do not miss since becoming sober:

That overall awful feeling physically, including the shakes, a splitting headache, pains in my arms and legs, bleary eyes, fluttering stomach, droopy shoulders, weak knees, a three day beard, and a flushed complexion. Also, facing my wife or my husband at breakfast. Also, composing the alibi and sticking to it. Also, trying to shave or put on makeup with a shaky hand. Also, opening up my wallet to find it empty.

So ............

I don't miss these things, do I?

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Just a Contemplation

Gossip

Gossip is ultimately a form of malicious cowardice. It is a "blasphemy" because it seeks to denigrate the human being that God has made in His image.

As a practicing alcoholic I was a gossip. I exaggerated and manipulated the truth with my gossip. I made up stories against those people I had a resentment towards; innocent people were abused and victimized by my gossip.

Also I loved listening to gossip. The listener plays an important role in the life of "gossip" because without the listener it could not exist. It takes two to gossip!

Today gossip is unacceptable behavior in my program.

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Quantity or Quality

About this slip business--I would not be too discouraged. I think you are suffering a great deal from a needless guilt. For some reason or other, the Lord has laid out tougher paths for some of us, and I guess you are treading one of them. God is not asking us to be successful. He is only asking us to try to be. That, you surely are doing, and have been doing. So I would not stay away from A.A. through any feeling of discouragement or shame. It's just the place you should be. Why don't you try just as a member? You don't have to carry the whole A.A. on your back, you know!

It is not always the quantity of good things that you do, it is also the quality that counts.

Above all, take it one day at a time.

As Bill Sees It Page 11

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Just a Quote

"It is a sign of strength, not of weakness, to admit that you don't know all the answers." ~ John P. Loughrane

July 14


Prayer for Direction


Lord,
Guide my heart with love.
Guide my mind with truth.
Guide my actions with faith.
Guide my soul with hope.
I trust in You.
Amen

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Just a Thought

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 trying to help each other, is the most natural way we could possibly live.

So ............

Do I believe it's the way God wants me to live?

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Just a Contemplation

Fear of Inadequacy

We create problems for ourselves because we think we need to be more than we are. We fear that we are inadequate to the task before us, fear that another person is more attractive or more handsome, fear that the friends around us are bored by our presence.

Fear hinders us; it prevents full involvement with the experiences we are given to grow on. When we withdraw from a situation in order to save ourselves from failure, we have chosen instead another kind of failure: failure to take all we can from life; failure to be all that we can be. Every experience can move us forward in the understanding of ourselves. When we withdraw, we stay stuck in a world we need to leave behind.

I will not fear whatever looks like trouble today. Nothing I can't handle, in fact, nothing I can't grow from will come my way today. My inner strength can see me through.

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Grandiosity

In my teens, I had to be an athlete because I was not an athlete.
I had to be a musician because I could not carry a tune.
I had to be first in everything because in my perverse heart
I felt myself the least of God's creatures.
I could not accept my deep sense of inferiority, and so I strove to become captain of the baseball team, and I did learn to play the fiddle.
Lead I must -- or else.
This was the 'all or nothing' kind of demand that later did me in."

As Bill Sees It, p. 214

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Just a Quote

“Everybody thinks of changing humanity, but nobody thinks of changing himself.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

July 15

Trust in God’s Will

Lord,
Simply knowing Your will and trusting in You are two separate things.
Sometimes I can discern Your plans for me, but there are times when I am paralyzed.
I am unable to move because my heart is not in it.
I am not able to trust Your goodwill.
Lord, change my heart so that I can learn to trust You.
Amen

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Just a Thought

When we were drinking, most of us had no real faith in anything.

We may have said that we believed in God, but we didn't act as though we did. We never honestly asked God to help us and we never really accepted His help. To us, faith looked like helplessness. But when we came into A.A., we began to have faith in God. And we found out that faith gave us the strength we needed to overcome drinking.

So ............

Have I learned that there is strength in faith?

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Just a Contemplation

Negative Messages

As we go through life, we run into all kinds of negative messages: teasing on the school bus, insulting nicknames, and other put-downs. Pretty soon we may discover that some of these messages stick in our minds, repeating themselves over and over like broken records. These messages can make us feel bad about ourselves.

But when we hear one of these tapes playing inside us, we have the power to push the STOP button. Then we can record a new message. We can even say it out loud, so that our voice settles emphatically into our thoughts. We can't make others stop saying these things, but we can stop listening to them. They only have power over us when we give it to them. We have the ability and freedom to let negative thoughts float by us, like water going downstream.

What positive message can I send to myself?

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Anonymity

We have denied ourselves personal government, professionalism, and the right to say who our members shall be. We have abandoned do-goodism, reform, and paternalism. We refuse charitable money and prefer to pay our own way. We will cooperate with practically everybody, yet we decline to marry our Society to anyone. We abstain from public controversy and will not quarrel among ourselves about those things that so rip society asunder-- religion, politics, and reform. We have but one purpose; to carry the AA message to the sick alcoholic who wants it.

The Language of the Heart Page 211

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Just a Quote

"Trite as it may sound, the cure for self-pity is to think about those who are less fortunate and start counting our blessings. Taking some action, doing some small thing for someone else, perhaps a phone call - these are constructive steps to take us off the 'pity pot'." ~ Cristina Ferrare