Daily Recovery Readings - June

[bluidkiti]

June 23

Daily Reflections

TRUSTING OTHERS

But does trust require that we be blind to other people's motives or,
indeed, to our own? Not at all; this would be folly. Most certainly, we
should assess the capacity for harm as well as the capability for good
in every person that we would trust. Such a private inventory can
reveal the degree of confidence we should extend in any given
situation.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 144

I am not a victim of others, but rather a victim of my expectations,
choices and dishonesty. When I expect others to be what I want them
to be and not who they are, when they fail to meet my expectations, I
am hurt. When my choices are based on self-centeredness, I find I am
lonely and distrustful. I gain confidence in myself, however, when I
practice honesty in all my affairs. When I search my motives and am
honest and trusting, I am aware of the capacity for harm in situations
and can avoid those that are harmful.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

No chain is stronger than its weakest link. Likewise, if you fail in the
day-by-day program, in all probability it will be your weakest point.
Great faith and constant contact with God's power can help you
discover, guard, and undergird your weakest point with a strength not
your own. Intelligent faith in God's power can be counted on to help
you master your emotions, help you to think kindly of others, and help
you with any task that you undertake, no matter how difficult. Am I
master of my emotions?

Meditation For The Day

You need to be constantly recharged by the power of the spirit of
God. Continue with God in quiet times until the life from God, the
Divine life, by that very contact, flows into your being and revises your
fainting spirit. When weary, take time out and rest. Rest and gain
power and strength from God, and then you will be ready to meet
whatever opportunities come your way. Rest until every care and
worry and fear have gone and then the tide of peace and serenity, love
and joy, will flow into your consciousness.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may rest and become recharged. I pray that I may pause
and wait for the renewing of my strength.

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As Bill Sees It

Constructive Forces, p. 174

Mine was exactly the kind of deep-seated block we so often see today in new people who
say they are atheistic or agnostic. Their will to disbelieve is so powerful that apparently
they prefer a date with the undertaker to an open-minded and experimental quest for God.

Happily for me, and for most of my kind who have since come along in A.A., the
constructive forces brought to bear in our Fellowship have nearly always overcome
this colossal obstinacy. Beaten into complete defeat by alcohol, confronted by the living
proof of release, and surrounded by those who can speak to us from the heart, we have
finally surrendered.

And then, paradoxically, we have found ourselves in a new dimension, the real world of
spirit and faith. Enough willingness, enough open-mindedness--and there it is!

A.A. Today, p. 9

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Keep It Simple

Words are sacred, we must use them wisely. . . . They are a gift from God.
Burton Pretty-On-Top
We use words to bring peace to others. We can use words to tell God and others how much we care. Or we can use words to hurt others. We can curse them and scare them away. We often did when we used alcohol and other drugs.
In recovery, we learn to use words in a kind, wise way. We treat words as a gift from God. We use words to build our relationships.
Do I always use words in a kind way? Do I treat words as a powerful gift from God? Do my words make the world better or worse for those who hear me speak?
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, when I speak words, help me think about their power. Help me speak to others in a kind way.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll speak to others with respect. My words will add a little kindness, honesty, and love to the world today.

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Each Day a New Beginning

. . . How much bondage and suffering a woman escapes when she takes the liberty of being her own physician of both body and soul. --Elizabeth Cady Stanton
If we listen to ourselves, to the innermost voice of our Spirits, we know that we have the power to heal ourselves. Self-healing begins with making our own decisions--about what we wear, what we do, who we are--and deciding that we will be true to ourselves. With the help of our spiritual guide, we can resist the temptations to betray ourselves, for these temptations are born of fear; the fear that we are not good enough to be our "own physicians."
To give away our powers bind us and cause us to suffer. But we can go to others for help without losing our own strength.
Today and every day, I will pray for the wisdom to choose wise counselors and the strength to love and heal myself.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

That the man who is making the approach has had the same difficulty, that he obviously knows what he is talking about, that his whole deportment shouts at the new prospect that he is a man with a real answer, that he has no attitude of Holier Than Thou, nothing whatever except the sincere desire to be helpful; that there are no fees to pay, no axes to grind, no people to please, no lectures to be endured—these are the conditions we have found most effective. After such an approach many take up their beds and walk again.

pp. 18-19

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

But most of our other difficulties don't fall under such a category at all. Every normal person wants, for example, to eat, to reproduce, to be somebody in the society of his fellows. And he wishes to be reasonably safe and secure as he tries to attain these things. Indeed, God made him that way. He did not design man to destroy himself by alcohol, but He did give man instincts to help him to stay alive.

p. 64

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Remember how we'd talk every night at bedtime? I miss that.
--God

If you think clothes make no difference, try walking down the street
without any.
--unknown

"The greatest treasures of your life are associated with the people
you love and who love you in return."
--Brian Tracy

Half the failures of this world arise from pulling in one's horse as he is
leaping.
--Augustus Hare

The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called
love and feel the depth and delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that
your world is transformed.
-- Krishnamurti

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the
past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live
the present moment wisely and earnestly.
--Buddha

"Tis grace that brought me safe thus far.
Tis grace will lead me home."
--John Newton ("Amazing Grace")

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

REALITY

"Do not take life too seriously.
You will never get out of it
alive."
--Elbert Hubbard

When I used to take life too seriously, I was always miserable. I
missed so much. I placed a disproportionate amount of energy on my
own importance. I am not saying that I am not important, but I must
learn to live within the structures of this imperfect world.

For so long I made myself the "victim" of this world. Every airplane I
missed was seen as a personal abuse. I could not wait in a line without
getting angry and developing a resentment to everybody around.
Everybody was expected to revolve around my world and I felt the
world owed me a living! The result: unhappiness.

I needed to change or remain unhappy. Today I am learning to change
and I am working on patience.

Thank You for the spiritual gift of balance in my life.

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The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalms 23:1-6

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting
God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or
weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to
the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow
tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope
in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be
faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

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Daily Inspiration

Integrity is one of our most valuable assets. Lord, may I live responsibly and never have the need to make excuses for my behavior.

Kindness can accomplish that which force won't. Lord, may I pause when I am about to react to irritations and respond as though it is You to whom I speak.