Daily Recovery Readings - June

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June 8

Daily Reflections

OPENING UP TO CHANGE

Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and
grace to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. With it
comes the development of that kind of humility that makes it possible
for us to receive God's help. . . . we find that bit by bit we can discard
the old life -- the one that did not work -- for a new life that can and
does work under any conditions whatever.
AS BILL SEES IT, pp. 10, 8

I have been given a daily reprieve contingent upon my spiritual
condition, provided I seek progress, not perfection. To become ready
for change, I practice willingness, opening myself to possibilities of
change. If I realize there are defects that hinder my usefulness in
A.A. and toward others, I become ready by meditating and receiving
direction. "Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the
result was nil until we let go absolutely" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p.
58). To let go and let God, I need only surrender my old ways to Him;
I no longer fight nor do I try to control, but simply believe that, with God's
help, I am changed and affirming this belief makes me ready. I empty
myself to be full of awareness, light, and love, and I am ready to face
each day with hope.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. We always get worse, never
better. We are never cured. Our alcoholism can only be arrested. No
matter how long we have been sober, if we try liquor again, we're as
bad or worse than we ever were. There is no exception to this rule in
the whole history of A.A. We can never recapture the good times of
the past. They are gone forever. Will I try to recapture them?

Meditation For The Day

Your life has been given to you mainly for the purpose of training your
soul. This life we live is not so much for the body as for the soul. We
often choose the way of life that best suits the body, not the way that
best suits the soul. God wants you to choose what suits the soul as well
as the body. Accept this belief and a wonderful molding of character is
the result. Reject it and God's purpose for your life is frustrated, and
your spiritual progress is delayed. Your soul is being trained by the
good you choose. Thus the purpose of your life is being accomplished.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may choose what is good for my soul. I pray that I may
realize God's purpose for my life.

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As Bill Sees It

Between the Extremes, p. 159

"The real question is whether we can learn anything from our experiences upon which we
may grow and help others to grow in the likeness and image of God.

"We know that if we rebel against doing that which is reasonably possible for us, then we
will be penalized. And we will be equally penalized if we presume in ourselves a
perfection that simply is not there.

"Apparently, the course of relative humility and progress will have to lie somewhere
between these extremes. In our slow progress away from rebellion, true perfection is
doubtless several millennia away."

Letter, 1959

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Walk in Dry Places

Quality Of Sobriety
Self-Improvement
There is such a thing as length---or quantity---of sobriety, and there is also quality. It's generally accepted that sobriety ought to be something more than the single process of staying free from alcohol or drugs.
We're on shaky ground, however, when we begin passing judgment on another person's quality of sobriety. We only have responsibility for the quality of our own sobriety, and it is not for us to decide how another should think or live.
We may not be able to avoid noticing others' actions that we consider to be wrong, but we can keep our thoughts and opinions to ourselves. If we do wish to voice any opinions, it should be in terms of our own inventory---not the other person's.
Some old-timers in Twelve Step programs develop crankiness that borders on resentment. Out of this crankiness come complaints about the way newcomers work the program. Our only responsibility is to treat these complaints with good humor and to avoid becoming cranky ourselves. Recovery alcoholics must continue to have the freedom to select any quality of sobriety they choose.
Today I'll strive for a high-quality sobriety that includes cheerfulness, confidence, patience, and good humor. I won't be responsible for monitoring another's sobriety.

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Keep It Simple

It's not enough to talk to plants, you also have to listen.---David Bergman
Sometimes, we find ourselves doing all the talking. When this happens, we need to stop, think, and listen.
When we do all the talking, we're trying to control what happens. But when we listen, we get better results. No one has to be in control. What a relief!
And we're learning to listen better every day. It's great---the care, love, and help we find---just by listening.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me learn the "give-and-take" of talking and listening.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll focus on listening, not only to other people but to my Higher Power's voice.

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Each Day a New Beginning

The process of living, for each of us, is pretty similar. For every gain there is a setback. For every success, a failure. For every moment of joy, a time of sadness. For every hope realized, one is dashed. --Sue Atchley Ebaugh
The balance of events in our lives is much like the balance of nature. The pendulum swings; every extreme condition is offset by its opposite, and we learn to appreciate the gifts . . . of the bad times as well as the periods of rest.
On occasion we'll discover that our course in life has changed direction. We need not be alarmed. Step Three has promised that we are in caring hands. Our every concern, every detail of our lives will be taken care of, in the right way, at the right time.
We can develop gratitude for all conditions, good or bad. Each has its necessary place in our development as healthy, happy women. We need the sorrows along with the joys if we are to gain new insights. Our failures keep us humble; they remind us of our need for the care and guidance of others. And for every hope dashed, we can remember, one will be realized.
Life is a process. I will accept the variations with gratitude. Each, in its own way, blesses me.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view.

p. 12

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Five - "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."

Another great dividend we may expect from confiding our defects to another human being is humility--a word often misunderstood. To those who have made progress in A.A., it amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be. Therefore, our first practical move toward humility must consist of recognizing our deficiencies. No defect can be corrected unless we clearly see what it is. But we shall have to do more than see. The objective look at ourselves we achieved in Step Four was, after all, only a look. All of us saw, for example, that we lacked honesty and tolerance, that we were beset at times by attacks of self-pity or delusions of personal grandeur. But while this was a humiliating experience, it didn't necessarily mean that we had yet acquired much actual humility. Though now recognized, our defects were still there. Something had to be done about them. And we soon found that we could not wish or will them away by ourselves.

p. 58

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"Love does not measure; it just gives."
--Mother Teresa

We do not let things change us, we change things.
--Joyce Meyer

Well done is better than well said.
--Benjamin Franklin

"Worry is rehearsing fear about a made-up, fabricated event in the
future that most of the time never happens."
--Jeff Alexander

"Forget regret, or life is yours to miss."
--Jonathan Larson

"When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember
that four of his fingers are pointing at himself."
--Louis Nizer

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

DOUBT

"I respect faith but doubt is what
gets you an education."
--Wilson Mizner

It is okay to question things. It is okay to say that I do not agree.
Today I have the freedom to doubt opinions and attitudes.

In my childhood I was never allowed to do this. I had to accept the
Bible because the preacher said it was God's word. I had to accept
that only Christians went to Heaven because Grandma said so! I had
to believe that Jews and Blacks were "inferior" because family and
friends said so - and to doubt them was to be different. I was
dependent upon an attitude towards life that I was uncomfortable
with. It brought me pain, anger, loneliness and guilt in later life.

Then I learned that growth comes to those who are prepared to doubt
or disagree with an existing system. God is to be found in the
questions. Spirituality is discovered in the shades of life.

O God, part of Your glory and splendor is Your unending mystery.

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My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish
His work.
John 4:34

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
James 1:19-20

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Daily Inspiration

Little acts of kindness throughout the day will make your life so much better and bring a little sunshine to others as well. Lord, may I make a habit of being gentle and loving with those around me.

Everything we need to deal with life's problems lies within us. Our trials are tests to see if we can discover the solution. Lord, I call out Your name when I face my difficulties and together we will overcome them.