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Daily Recovery Readings Start your day here with Daily Recovery Readings. Feel Free To Share Your Experience, Strength & Hope.

 
 
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Old 06-27-2016, 07:48 AM   #27
bluidkiti
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June 27

Step by Step

"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." - Step Four

"If we have been thorough about our personal inventory, we have written down a lot. We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies ...We have listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to straighten out the past if we can." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, Ch 5 ("How It Works"), p 70.

Today, if the Fourth I took yesterday is not "a lot," chances are I have not been thorough. More likely, I have been dishonest by not accepting responsibility for damage I inflicted or by seeing myself as I hope instead of how I am. But putting to paper our misdeeds and injury to others is not sufficient. We are asked to perceive our defects as futile and fatal and begin to understand their damage. Further, we are compelled to begin learning "tolerance, patience and good will toward all men ..." and become willing to undo the damage. If I do not understand all this, the Fourth I took yesterday may have been premature or dishonest. Today, I seek the courage and understanding to do Step Four as it is intended. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M.

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

NOT GOD

First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn’t work.

~ Big Book ~

The game we always lose is the game of playing God. When we attempt to take absolute control over either our own lives or the life of another, we only harm ourselves or them. When we inflict our own will on a situation, all we reveal is our own fear and insecurity.

Our Second Step reminds us that most of our problems have been of our own making. Until we quit trying to control everyone and everything, we could find no peace. As we work the Program with the belief that we're not God, today and tomorrow are far less frightening.

Many of us have been helped with the problem of grandiose thinking by the familiar slogan, “I can't, God can, l think I’ll let Him.”

Today I'll remember that if I try to play God, I'm crazy.

**************************************************

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

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

~ Isaiah 40:31~

The Third Step tells us that the path of recovery includes a “decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” The ancient Hebrew text tells us poetically that wonderful things happen in our lives when we take this spiritual Step. We enter a paradox: turning our lives and will over to the care of our Higher Power in fact inspires us with greater strength.

Our own life stories, and the stories of healing and recovery that we hear from our friends and our mentors, illustrate this biblical wisdom. Our lives were a mess. We tried to control more than a man can control and we ended up out of control. The losses we paid were painful and heartbreaking. But when we chose to enter into a spiritual recovery, we felt we had rejoined the human family. We were inspired with a new sense of hope and energy and possibilities for our lives.

Today, again, I turn to my Higher Power for the care of my life and my will.

**************************************************

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

We are all artists and our greatest creation is in the living of our lives.

~ Dudley Martineau ~

When we hear the word artist most of us think of someone like O’Keefe or Chicago or Wharton or Dickinson. But we certainly don’t think of ourselves as artists. Fortunately, this program is able to help us broaden our definition of artist. Using these Twelve Steps allows us to create whoever we really want to be.

Many of us imitated some bad role models for much of our lives. We willingly let others define us. Perhaps it seemed easier than taking charge of ourselves and creating who we really longed to be.

But using the tools of this program, we are able to decide exactly how we want to respond to every experience today. We can be the women we want to be. As we stand before the canvas of our lives, we are free to create a world of joy and serenity.

I will look to this program and my Higher Power for guidance as I create myself today.

**************************************************

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

I want to stay on track

For several weeks, I felt moody and irritable. Then I had a big fight with my family. It left me feeling sad and lost. I felt so bad, I was afraid I was going to get sick again.

So I promptly called my therapist and we talked about how to prevent a relapse. In simple terms, I agreed to (a) be aware of my triggers and watch out for urges to use; (b) keep up my medication; (c) go to a recovery meeting regularly; and (d) stay in touch with my personal and professional helpers.

I will review my relapse prevention plan with my sponsor and, when needed, ask for additional support.

*************************************************

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

I will say of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress:
my God; in Him will I trust.

~ Psalms 91:2 ~

Sometimes we come into a recovery program totally devoid of faith in anything or anybody. We are harboring many resentments and feel that God was not there for us when we really needed Him. Why should we believe He exists now? Many who have come before us have had this same dilemma.

These feelings are common because we are still in our addicted frame of mind. We want an answer now, we want to be healthy now. But what takes one person only a moment to accept might take another a lifetime.

Some of us may believe our Higher Power is our Twelve Step group, while another may understand God differently. When we are ready, we will believe in a Power greater than ourselves, and that power will be God as we understand Him. No one person has all the answers. Having faith in a Higher Power, however we may define Him, is but one stepping-stone in our recovery. But that stepping-stone becomes the very foundation of our spiritual program.

Today let me have faith that my life is protected by my Higher Power.

**************************************************

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

There is always a “but” in this imperfect world.

~ Helen Keller ~

Often there is not a day that goes by without some tragic or upsetting news story. An act of terrorism, a natural disaster, or a school shooting can dominate the air waves and make it seem as if all there is in the world are tragedy, loss, and immeasurable sorrow. At those times when the world seems to be crashing down around you, you may be tempted to look at your addiction from a different perspective.

You may consider, for instance, how minor your addiction is compared to everything else that is going on. So you might tell yourself, “Okay, I think I have a problem with alcohol. But maybe my problem isn’t so bad after all.” Or you may think, “But all I did was just knock over a trash can when I was drunk. It’s not as if I killed someone.” Maintaining sobriety can be an extremely difficult task. But you make it more difficult whenever you spend more time trying to find excuses than doing what it is you need to do in your recovery. While it is true that sometimes there is too much tragedy and negative news, such things should not be taken as reasons for you to take a break from your recovery.

Today I will not excuse myself from my recovery.

**************************************************

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

If we want to keep living with ourselves, we must keep on trying, trying, trying.

~ Robert J. White, M.D. ~

Tonight we may feel we failed in some way today. Even though we may have done our best, we may now believe we could have done more, done it better, or tried harder, then things would be different now.

But there are things beyond our control. One of them is the outcome of any circumstance. We cannot expect that, if we do all we can, all will be well. Even the most skilled surgeon loses patients. The surgeon knows the grace of God is with the patient, no matter what the outcome.

The grace of God is in our lives and the lives of those around us. Though we strive to do our best and to make everything better, we need to remember the outcomes are not in our control. How we accept them, however, is in our control.

Higher Power, help me keep trying to do my best, no matter what the outcome.

**************************************************

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

Dropping biases

Addiction is not biased, nor should we be biased in the program. Whatever our beliefs before we found this solution, it helps if we avoid letting them interfere with our Step Twelve work. There are few enough places where people are accepted regardless of status, religion, nationality, or appearance.

Each of us needs everyone else in the fellowship. Whether laborer or judge, white or black, addict or alcoholic, if she or he can carry the message of recovery, he or she can save your life. Am I letting go of all bias?

Higher Power, help me let go of my biases so that I can better help save lives.

Today I will take an inventory of my biases and practice letting them go by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

**************************************************

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

Friends are not so easily made as kept.

~ GEORGE SAVILLE ~

Newcomer

I stay near recovering people, as you’ve suggested. I speak with people at meetings and make phone calls, but I’m uncomfortable with so much sharing all the time. Sometimes I feel as if I can’t face all these people, people, people.

Sponsor

At first, we may be overwhelmed by the array of personalities we encounter. We lack experience and skill at sober interactions; every encounter may feel intense and exhausting. Our sense of personal boundaries may be weak; we wonder how to deal with other people’s needs and demands without obliterating ourselves. We crave intimacy, but fear that we’re not ready for what it would require. Without our addictions to escape into, we sometimes feel like bolting. A solo trip across country may appeal to us more than a ten-minute coffee break at a meeting.

We can take the pressure off ourselves to get it right all at once. Group activities, like going to a coffee shop for “the meeting after the meeting,” are a relaxed way to get used to being with others. Making friends is a gradual process. We have the right to take this process slowly and not rush into commitments—romantic or otherwise. We have choices. Over time, it becomes clear whether spending time with a particular person makes life better or worse. We learn how to satisfy our needs for both companionship and solitude.

Today, I practice “Easy does it” in my developing relationships with others.

**************************************************

~ THE EYE OPENER ~

AA is not fundamentally a philosophy, but it is rather a program of active living. To commit the Big Book to memory, to listen attentively to all the group speakers will not guarantee continued sobriety.

The knowledge gained thereby, put into your everyday living, will make drinking practically impossible and certainly unenjoyable. If we fail to make the Program an integral part of our everyday living, we are almost sure to have some rough times ahead.

**************************************************

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

HEART OF A CHILD

Grant me, O God,
The heart of a child,
Pure and transparent as a spring,
A simple heart,
Which never harbors sorrows;
A heart glorious in self-giving,
Tender in compassion,
A heart faithful and generous,
Which will never forget any good
Or bear a grudge for any evil.

Make me a heart gentle and humble,
Loving without asking in return,
Large-hearted and undauntable,
Which no ingratitude can sour,
And no indifference weary,
A heart born to help others,
Usefulness never measured.

*************************************************

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

ALL GOD'S UNIVERSE

What is nature? What we call nature is a small part of God's universe that we are able to see at the present time, and much of which we see awry. All the wonderful things that are going on in the woods, all the marvelous happenings that take place in the depths of the ocean, the whole sublime story of the heavens, are all parts of God's self-expression. Above all, our own bodies themselves are part of nature, perhaps the most wonderful part of all; and probably the part about which we ourselves know least.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of all mankind . . . . With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding (Job 12:7-10, 13 ).

**************************************************

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

Lottery Winners

You cannot serve both God and money.

~ Jesus Christ ~

I was stunned to learn that New York now has support groups for lottery winners. Apparently, for some people, winning the lottery causes more problems than it solves! Those who hit the jackpot have to deal with all sorts of situations they're not prepared for. Suddenly they have friends they never knew they had; they have to be responsible for managing the money, create productive free time after they quit their job, deal with ex-spouses who want a cut, hire body-guards to protect their kids from kidnapping at day care, and on and on. Some lottery winners spend it all on shoes, others fight with their relatives, others turn to addictions and, sadly, some commit suicide. In many cases, the windfall does not end the recipients' problems; it just substitutes new ones for the old.

What these lottery winners really need is not the money, but the consciousness to handle it. The ego tells us, "lf I just had this brass ring from the outside world, I would be happy." But because we are spiritual beings, it is the inside world that determines our happiness.

I worked in a store that was losing money because the owner had a negative and irresponsible attitude. He asked for a large capital loan from a local entrepreneur, who came to me for a reference. I had to tell him the truth. While the owner blamed his failure on every external circumstance, the source of his problems was his own way of thinking. He could have received millions of dollars of capital, but it would all have gone out of the same consciousness hole that his original money had slipped out of. What the owner needed was not money, but more wisdom.

Do not pray for a particular external event; pray for the consciousness to sustain the quality of experience you desire. Then you will not only attract your good-you will be able to enjoy it.

Show me how to use Your gifts wisely. Let me know who I am, that I may manifest real success.

My good flows to me effortlessly by right of my divine thoughts.
__________________
"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K.
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt
We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time!
God says that each of us is worth loving.
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