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April 12

Step by Step

Today, I can believe my worst days are behind and not ahead of me if I don’t drink in the current 24 Hours and not think in terms of a lifetime, a year, a month or even a week without alcohol. If I can be honest about remembering that moment when I knew alcohol had made my life unmanageable and why I came to AA, I might also remember that my days as a drinking alcoholic were the darkest and toughest of my life. And if that is true, I can look no further than those people who are in recovery to know that sobering up will be nowhere near as tough as continuing to drink. Today, if I am teetering and preoccupied with how many tomorrows will be without alcohol, I will live only in the current 24 hours, just one day at a time. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

VALUES

By accepting God’s help we learn to think clearly, to play fairly, and to give generously.

~ Anonymous ~

Our values change in recovery as we become less and less selfish. The value screen through which we see life is changed. We no longer ask what everyone can do for us; w ask what we can do for them. We no longer seek out situations that only comfort us; we discover ways to comfort. We find that we feel better about ourselves when we help others. We learn from our Program that what we have been searching for our whole lives is wrapped up in service to others.

The valuable relationship is the one that creates a closer contact with our Higher Power, so we seek out situations and people that bring us into closer contact.

The values we show in the work of recovery look different from the ones we once held. Every day brings a new chance to become a conductor of life.

My values no longer change with every passing fancy. My life is beginning to mean something and to count for things that are good.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.

~Stephen R. Covey ~

Ancient wise men first identified that crucial gap in time between the moment we first sense something and the response we give. They taught meditation principles focusing on this distinction and spent hours in contemplation that led to deep inner peace and serenity. Most of us, in our busy lives, do not devote hours and days to that focus, but we can learn to practice the crucial wisdom of chosen response instead of instant reflex.

Reactivity is like a knee-jerk response. It comes from a primitive part of our brains. If we haven’t learned of that brief gap between the stimulus and our response, then we don’t even know we have a choice. We might say, “I couldn’t help it. If he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have done what I did,” At that point we are still immature and weak. When we gain awareness of this tiny bit of time to choose the best response, we step from immaturity into the strength of a grown man.

Today I will become more aware of that moment of choice between a stimulus and my response.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

Taking responsibility for the part I play in the cause of my problems frees me to do something about them.

~ Kathy McGraw ~

We used to love to blame other people for the burdens and hurdles in our lives. That someone else was to blame for our personal upset was as obvious to us as rain splashing against the windshield. Yet the longer we looked at others rather than at ourselves, the more stuck we became in old behavior.

We’ve since come to understand that we simply cannot grow, we cannot harvest the fruits of this recovery program, unless we develop a willingness to take responsibility for who we are at every instant of our lives. As we begin taking responsibility for our actions, we feel empowered. We realize that we are who we have chosen to be. And we will be who we decide we want to be. As that reality permeates our consciousness, we will begin to know that our hopes can become real, because the promises in the Big Book are real.

I will feel strengthened by claiming responsibility for all that I am today. Before taking action, I can pause and consider whether I will feel good about my choice.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I am OK when I make a mistake

Growing up I learned that it was important to look strong at all times. I even learned not to apologize. Yet sometimes I did things that I felt bad about. But to acknowledge them was to look weak and perhaps to risk attack.

In recovery I am learning new ideas, new ways. I am learning that it’s OK to acknowledge mistakes. I’m finding out that if I say “I’m sorry,” my guilt diminishes. When I make a mistake in recovery, I no longer feel angry at myself or assume that I’m bad or weak. Instead, I see myself as someone who can make a mistake, learn from it, and then be willing to change. It’s good to know I’m human.

I will pray for strength to accept myself and admit my mistakes.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

Leave room for God to surprise you!

~ Ernie K. ~

If we always get what we want, and things always go our way, and people always do what we want them to do, we have no need for God. When we know what’s going to happen, we become God, all-knowing.

It is human to be disappointed when we don’t get what we want. But when we dwell on our disappointment, as if we should have gotten what we wanted, then we forget to trust that God may have something different in store for us. Many of us pray, “Thy will be done,” but more often than not, when we don’t get what we want, we forget it may be God’s will that we not get it!

We can only know the present moment. This is our life — all of it. When we worry about future wants and past disappointments, we don’t leave room in ourselves for the present. When we let God take care of the future and live the best we can right now, we can feel assured we’ll be ready for the better things that are in store for us.

Today help me to trust in Your will.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

They also serve who only stand and wait.

~ John Milton ~

Volunteers at the Grupo Ecologico de la Costa Verde in Mexico know the value of patience as they guide hatchling turtles back to the sea from their sandy beach nests. Crossing the sand is a crucial part of the imprinting pro-cess that brings the turtles back to lay their eggs at the place of their birth.

Moonlight illuminates the course the turtles must take, but they can easily become misdirected by the lights of civilization. Yet they must get to the ocean on their own to complete the imprinting process. So as the time of hatching draws near, volunteers stand and wait for hours near the nests at night until the turtles break free from their shells and slowly emerge from the sand. Then volunteers gently turn the turtles in the right direction and follow their progress, inch by inch, over a period of several hours until the turtles make it to the sea.

The same process can be applied to your recovery. Skimming through the Big Book and rushing through the Twelve Steps will not hasten the restoration of your sanity, health, and wholeness. Your rebirth takes time and requires dedicated patience.

Today I will resist rushing and instead take my time in all that I do. Having patience with myself and with others can be directly applied to the process of my recovery.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I have never yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind.

~ Anonymous ~

We have only to turn on the evening news to be deluged by all the unkindnesses in the world. Natural disasters destroy and kill. People murder. Governments oppress and torture. People discriminate against others. But if we turn off the evening news and take a look at our own lives – at our relationships – we can see that unkindness is just as prevalent.

Kindness is like a beautiful flowering plant. Pay attention to it, water it, nourish it, tend to its needs, and it will flourish. One flower will open, then another, with a reward of brilliant colors. Show it no kindness, and it will close up its beauty and die.

There are flowers all around me. I need to cultivate my garden with kindness.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Accepting God’s will

Step Eleven concludes “. . . praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” This tells us that when we pray for “whatever is right,” the best will happen for all concerned, including our-selves. We may even receive more than we asked for.

In times of crisis, when we feel that things must go our way or we’ll lose faith in God, do we stop to remember that God works in mysterious ways? Nothing, not even death, is without a purpose. Accepting whatever comes as God’s will avoids blame and anger, and keeps us present and focused.

Am I learning acceptance?

Higher Power, help me understand that disasters are not punishments, and they can make your purpose clear.

I will practice acceptance today by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

Happiness is a way-station between too little and too much.

~ CHANNING POLLOCK ~

Newcomer

I’m in a bind. Someone asked me to attend an event, and I said yes. I think I should be doing more than just going to meetings. Now that the date’s almost here, I wish I’d said no; I don’t really want to go. But I don’t think I should let people down at the last minute any more—I did that too much when I was active in my addiction.

Sponsor

When I was new in recovery, I had a serious case of what we call “people-pleasing.” It’s taken time to sort out my own needs and desires. I’ve found that I need to spend time with people and that I also need time for solitude and rest. Chances to try new things are among the gifts of recovery, but I don’t have to do everything that comes along. It still takes effort to plan ahead for activities I care about and to leave room for spontaneity.

Making choices that please and nurture us is healthy. If we need to, we can change our minds and our plans—it’s not the same thing as picking up our addictions. We need to be clear about our motives, however. If we find that we’re consistently waiting until the last minute, then backing out of commitments, perhaps we’re letting fear make our decisions. And sometimes, it’s just plain easier to go ahead and keep a commitment we’re less than thrilled about. If we’ve made a mistake, it’s not the end of the world; our mistakes are our teachers. Through trial and error, we eventually learn how to choose good company and make appropriate commitments.

Today, I’m showing up for my life.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

When we alcoholics arrived at that point in our drinking careers that we commonly call “our bottom”; when difficulties were pouring in from every side; when there was no longer any room left to retreat and all our defenses had crumbled – we found that we had no other alternative but take the last desperate effort of the totally beaten.

AA proved, as history has often done, that the best defense is a strong offense.

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~ WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG BOOK ~ (Official & Unofficial Sloganeering From the 12 Step Programs) ~

1) We may not have it all together, BUT together we have it ALL!

2) HOPE: Happy Our Program Exists

3) Actions speak louder than words.

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

Twelfth Step Prayer

Dear God,

My spiritual awakening continues to unfold. The help I have received I shall pass on and give to others, both in and out of the Fellowship. For this opportunity I am grateful.

I pray most humbly to continue walking day by day on the road of spiritual progress. I pray for the inner strength and wisdom to practice the principles of this way of life in all I do and say. I need You, my friends, and the Program every hour of every day. This is a better way to live.

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

A DOOR OPENS

Change is the law of the universe. Without change, the world would not merely remain in a static state, but it would soon become stale and stagnant. Without change there would be no progress, for change is the essence of betterment. It is obvious that to do anything in a new and better way there must be a change.

Many people look upon change with dread and foreboding. But for those on the spiritual path—for those who believe in God and the power of prayer—change is a fuller expression of life.

When a problem or condition arises in your life that indicates a change, rely upon God, and realize that it is not so much as a door has closed on a chapter of your life, but rather that a door has opened on new and more interesting things.

Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 21:5)

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

A Touch Can Change a Life

Never underestimate the power of a kind act.

~ Anonymous ~

In the midst of a long meditation retreat, Rick was feeling tired, bored, and discouraged. Waking up to a cold, dark morning, he decided he would leave today. As Rick joined the line of students for the morning walking meditation practice, the man behind him placed his hand comfortingly on Rick’s shoulder. “With that touch I felt renewed,” Rick explained. “Although the man did not speak a word, I felt him tell me, ‘It’s okay. I know you are having a hard time; hang in there.’ From that moment on, my attitude was transformed, and I went on to complete the retreat.”

Kindness is powerful, contagious, and transformative. Never underestimate the potential of a friendly smile, gentle touch, or supportive word. So many people walk the world in pain and self-doubt. Your simple gift could make all the difference in a friend’s or stranger’s day, and even save their life. You are the light of the world—let it shine!

Let me be a positive influence on everyone I meet.
I offer myself to make a difference in the lives I touch.

God blesses the world through my words and hands.
I am a messenger of love.