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September 9

Step by Step

Today, accept that I need a higher power for a quality sobriety. To those in the program who might say a higher power is a myth or an entity that does not exist, look back on our experience as a drinking alcoholic when we conducted ourselves without regard to the needs or feelings of others, when we made decisions based only on our wants. I didn't do such a great job running my life on my own, and it was only when I sought and found a power stronger and wiser than myself that I began my journey of spiritual awakening. And the higher power that the program suggests we all need is not necessarily the God of organized religion or even a god. That higher power can be nothing more simple than a development of a moral conscience that dictates how we manage our lives and choices. Today, I ask if I need a higher power. Yes. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

SERENITY

Serenity = Reality = Inner peace and strength.

~ Anonymous ~

Most of us chased an elusive thing called serenity for years. We thought our journeys outside reality brought us peace and serenity. When we returned to reality we found harshness and pain that caused us to run back to using. So it went, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. Run, escape, pain; run, escape, pain.

Then something happened. Our addiction wouldn't let us escape any more. We no longer found what we were' seeking. We tried using more heavily. Finally, all that was left of our lives was the pain.

The Fellowship shows us that reality is not a problem. Trying to escape reality is a problem. When we continued to turn our wills and lives over to a Higher Power, the serenity that results creates a reality of inner peace and strength.

I trust and believe that the changes I am going through in my recovery are necessary and good for me.

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

Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.

~ Franz Kafka ~

We ask ourselves, what really counts when everything else is stripped away? What do we still value? Beauty is one of those values for many of us. It might be the beauty of the outdoors, solitude in the wilderness, a symphony, a special painting, or the athletic grace of a pitcher as he hurls the baseball across home plate. Something stirs within us when we see beauty. Many would call that a spiritual experience because it seems to touch the soul of our being.

We can feel vulnerable when we have such experiences, and some of us have learned to rim roughshod over those moments. We smother that part of our soul so that we don’t have to feel our manhood threatened. Now we are learning new lessons. We are growing into stronger, more open, and more spiritual men. Beauty, wherever we see it, is part of our spiritual life.

Today I am open to the stirring in my soul when I see beauty.

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

To change a behavior, we must become willing to experience a certain degree of discomfort.

~ Marie Lindquist ~

Many of us believe that all our problems are someone else’s fault. If others were more under-standing, less critical, easier to love, we’d be happier, we think. But that’s not true, and we’re lucky it’s not. If our happiness were tied to others’ whims, we’d be happy far less often.

To have more happiness and security in our lives, we may have to change how we act. That’s not always easy. Old behaviors are like old shoes: comfortable; they fit. But when happiness eludes us too often, we must look to ourselves for the remedy. The changes we may need to make won’t be comfortable at first; they may pinch the ego like a tight shoe pinches the toes.

But relying on our Higher Power to keep us willing to change makes the transition possible. What once pinched will feel comfortable in time. Let’s trust.

Today I’ll release my impatience and keep my mind on the Serenity Prayer. My happiness is up to me.

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

I want to settle down

I am sad and anxious and angry about this emotional illness I've got. It's hard to think straight. I feel confused. I feel like I'm floundering.

Yet those who support me don't seem worried. What I am picking up is that these problems are not unusual in dual recovery. I've started a new medication and I gather that in a couple of weeks, as it takes effect, I'll be able to settle down, not think so hard or worry so much. I wish things were better right now, but it seems I need to cope a while longer. With the help of my higher power, I will manage.

Today I will take two walks and call two friends on the phone.

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

To be everywhere is to be nowhere.

~ Og Mandino ~

Sobriety has taught us the value of a sense of purpose, a center to target our energies. Too often, we tried to be all things to all people, then ran in too many directions at one time. The typical result was frustration and poor accomplishments. This left us with low self-esteem and even less willingness to pursue healthy goals.

We can apply the principles we’ve learned in Twelve Step recovery to any area of our lives and steer a more direct, spiritually sound course. We can focus on doing “first things first,” and taking small steps toward what we want. It is far more dignified and joyous to arrive somewhere, tasks fulfilled, than to dart about and achieve nothing.

We needn’t change everything at once. We can repair our bodies with a modest exercise program, get a little more rest, and add a few healthy foods to our diet. To activate our minds we can take a single class or pursue a lost hobby. And to enrich our spiritual lives, we can take a few minutes each day to pray and meditate. By taking small, humble steps, we stay within our abilities and focus on the true direction we need in our new sober life.

Today let me concentrate on each small step 1 take toward my goals.

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

My evil genius Procrastination has whispered me to tarry ’til a more convenient season.

~ Mary Todd Lincoln ~

While it may seem that as you grow older time moves faster, that is just a fallacy. Each person has the same twenty-four hours in a day. But how you make use of each day reflects whether you are a can-do person or a someday person.

If you are a can-do person, you make full use of your time. You know what you need to do and set about doing it. At the end of the day you likely experience a sense of accomplishment. But if you are a someday person—who prefers to get things done “someday”—at the end of the day you may feel that you have done very little. While you may have been a great someday person when you were using, recovery and procrastination are not good partners.

Consider someday as today. Think about something you have been putting off for a while—in recovery or in your personal or professional life—and break it down into small steps. You may feel uncomfortable about something you need to do, but then do it. Ask for help on tasks you find daunting or confusing rather than put them off. Then, at the end of the day, celebrate all that you have accomplished.

Someday has arrived! Today I will act rather than procrastinate.

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

It would all be so beautiful if people were just kind . . . what is more wise than to be kind? And what is more kind than to understand?

~ Thomas Tryon ~

Sometimes we may think life is pretty unkind. Such a feeling could have started years ago when we were brought up in an alcoholic home. That feeling might have continued as we agonized through our addictions. Now we may even be able to make mental lists of those unkind things in our lives: family, loved ones, bosses, major disappointments, disease. “Life has dealt me a terrible blow!" we may moan.

But kindness can start with us! How many times today could we have smiled instead of frowned? Couldn't we have let someone ahead of us in traffic instead of barreling on by? Perhaps we could have picked up the telephone and spoken a few kind words to a friend or family member.

We can't change the unkindness of today. But we can make changes in how we behave tomorrow.

Is there someone who needs my kindness and understanding? How can I show this kindness?

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

Letting go of pain

When we focus on positive thoughts, resentment and fear can hardly touch us. Positive thoughts protect us and lead us forward.

When our minds are full of negative thoughts, we suffer; negative thoughts make us vulnerable and hold us back. Do we really want to suffer?

Can I practice letting go of pain?

Higher Power, help me believe that letting go of pain really does bring relief.

Today I will practice letting go of pain by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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

A good garden may have some weeds.

~ THOMAS FULLER ~

Newcomer

I've done a few things I'm not proud of, but isn't that part of being human? Other people aren't perfect, either.

Sponsor

Looking honestly and unflinchingly at our behavior, while at the same time having compassion for ourselves, is a powerful combination. Steps Four through Nine offer us a simple process for clearing up the wreckage of the past so that we can live without the burden of regret. In recovery, we have the opportunity to change for the better, not to demand perfection of ourselves or others.

My perfectionism sometimes makes me forget that I’m engaged in a process of change over time. It also lets me exaggerate both how "good" and "bad" I am. If I’m not “the greatest" in some situation, I decide, in my arrogance, that I must be "the worst." What a strange way of giving myself importance! One of the program sayings reminds me not to compare my insides with other people's outsides. I have my own unique gifts; accepting and nurturing these gifts brings me joy and allows me to contribute to the human community.

We're capable of feeling love and compassion for others who are far from perfect. In recovery, we can learn to extend that love and compassion to ourselves.

For today, I delete "perfect" from my vocabulary and practice using the word "better."

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

There can be no improvement in the world without the improvement of the people who constitute it. There can be no improvement in people unless it is in improved actions motivated by improved thinking and a higher morality code.

Aside from the immediate benefits described by the alcoholics and their families from the AA program, it has done much to raise the character of a large segment of society.

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

A Summer Prayer

Long warm days . . .
The pace of life slows . . .
A time of picnics, and rest in the shade . . .
A time to celebrate the Spirit of Nature.

Father of Light,
help me rest awhile in the cooling shade
of Your presence.

Slow down my restless heart and anxious mind
and fill me with gentle compassion for all
Your people.

As the Program teaches me, this I pray, to
"lit ourselves to be of maximum service to God
and the people about us."

~ Author unknown ~

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

KEY WORDS IN THE BIBLE

FEAR

The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the beginning of knowledge. This has misled many people, because the truth is that fear is entirely evil and is indeed the only enemy we have. You can heal any condition if you can get rid of the fear attaching to it. Trouble or sickness is nothing but subconscious fear outpictured in our surroundings. It is true at all times that "we have nothing to fear but fear."

How then do we account for the texts quoted? The answer is that in the Bible the fear of God means reverence for God, nor fear in the usual sense of the word. Reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom. How do we show reverence for God? By seeing God everywhere, refusing to recognize anything unlike Him, and by living the Christ life.

Confidence is worship. You worship whatever you trust. Are you trusting more in fear or in God? What are you worshiping? That is the test.

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace (Job 22:21).

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

Again!

When your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme.

~ from the song, "When You Wish Upon a Star," by Ned Washington ~

The film Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken is based upon the true story of Sonora Webster, a girl whose deepest dream was to ride the diving horse in the famous act on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. Sonora found the man who trained the horses for the act, and in spite of rejection after rejection, she convinced him to teach her to mount a running horse. In her first attempt, Sonora fell flat on her face, leaving the trainer laughing.

"Again!" Sonora shouted, and again she fell, hurting herself. "Again!" she repeated, over and over, until after many painful falls, this courageous girl mastered the mount and eventually went on to become a very famous diver. Sonora lost her eyesight later in her career, and she continued to dive blind.

It is said that "the only time we fail is the last time we try." Errors or setbacks are nothing to be ashamed of. Keep trying, and eventually mastery will be yours.

Give me the strength not to give up. Help me walk past discouragement. I will live in You as You live in me.

I can do all things through God who strengthens me.