Daily Reprieve - July

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July 16

“A PEARL OF GREAT VALUE”

“What we really have is a daily reprieve…” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 85:1

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout
for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great
value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” Matthew 13:45-46

For what it's worth: A daily sentence to hell is what my miserable existence seemed to me during my diseased years. Moreover, the end would not come soon enough. That agony was severe enough to push me to Alcoholics Anonymous where I was granted “a daily reprieve” from hell. Now that I have this gift from God, this precious “pearl of great value”, I need to be willing to go to any length to keep it safe in this cracked jar of clay. I need never take it for granted. I need to be willing to go to any length to maintain my spiritual condition so that I do not lose this precious gift. I have to go to my Heavenly Father each new day and beg His strength to hold together this jar of clay for one more day. He has never let me down.

God bless you!
Joe W.

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July 17

BACK INTO HIS ARMS

“…If we remind ourselves that ‘it is better to comfort than to be comforted, to understand than to be understood, to love than to be loved,’ we will be following the intent of Step Eleven.” 12&12 p.103

“Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.” 1 Peter 4:8 (The Message)

For what it's worth: The emptiness of alcoholism engulfed me when alcohol became more important to life than love. Once sober long enough in Alcoholics Anonymous, and I could feel the absence of love, I sought fulfillment in the love I felt from the people and a merciful God. They offered me Twelve Steps that taught me a way of life filled with love. Practicing these Steps day by day, I came to be able to love more than demand to be loved. All of my relationships improved, especially my closeness with my Heavenly Father. Today, when I feel distant, I know to find someone to love with a kind word or action. This always brings me back to my Heavenly Father's arms.

God bless you.
Joe W.

[bluidkiti]

July 18

WHY FRET?

“When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could have planned.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 100

“He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.” Psalm 48:14

For what it's worth: Alcoholism blinded me. I could not see the hand of God protecting me. But only He could have saved me from a horrible alcoholic ending. Only He could have guided me to Alcoholic's Anonymous. Only He could have opened my eyes and my heart to His presence in my life. I try to grow closer to God every day by practicing the Twelve Steps He gave me, but all too often I sabotage myself. I am too slow to pause and ask His guidance when difficulties occur. I tend to rush in without Him. Also, I easily forget I am in His hands, becoming confused, doubtful, and anxious. Instead, I need be confident; realize my Heavenly Father always holds me close to His heart; and, He has already guided me to joys I never believed possible. So, why fret?

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 19

"HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU"

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalm 55:22 (New Living Translation)

But certainly there wasn't any evidence of a God who knew or cared about human beings. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 97

For what it's worth: During my early sober days in Alcoholics Anonymous, how could I trust God to take care of me? I was a major disappointment to Him during my drinking days, and I insanely believed He was tripping me and pushing me deeper into hell. I had to stop drinking, attend hundreds of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and listen to hundreds of members share their experiences before there was a crack in my armor. Then I began to believe God might do for me what he had done for others. That is all God needed to rush in through the crack and begin proving to me I could trust His love. He combined all those meetings and all the sharing with my own sober experiences to convince me He would take care of me. Over my years of sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous, I have given burden after burden to my Heavenly Father, and He has never let me down.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 20

SEEK GOD FOR SUCCESS

“If strong people were stalemated in the search for peace and harmony, what was to become of our erratic band of alcoholics?” 12&12 p.130

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24

For what it's worth: There was no hope in the Lord or anyone else during my diseased days of alcoholic drinking. After all, if normal people struggled, a drunk like me would definitely go under. That's also what I thought about Alcoholics Anonymous. They had to be a weak bunch. So, how could they help me? As it turns out, they helped me the same way they helped themselves. Alcoholics Anonymous sought a Higher Power for fulfillment. And they offered me a merciful, loving God for sobriety and survival. Even after all these years, it is still that way. When weak, I run to my Heavenly Father for strength. And I have faith that should problems arise for any member or group of Alcoholics Anonymous, God will be sought for success.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 21

FIRES I NEEDED TO SUFFER

“Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.” 1 Peter 1:7 (The Message)

“An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we shall seek.” Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 95

For what it's worth: My alcoholism was a mean and selfish disease. People were hurt. Lives were ruined. Families were broken. My only escape from the agony I created was to crawl into and hide in a bottle of alcohol over and over again, trying to blot out the shame and despair. This insane habit only created a cold, hard heart, a thankless attitude, and reinforced my walls of resistance to change. Only the grace of God could have saved me. A merciful and loving Heavenly Father carried me to Alcoholics Anonymous where I found Steps to direct me and people to support me through the fires I needed to suffer in order to develop “honest regret”, “genuine gratitude”, and a willingness to persist in my Heavenly Father's way of life.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 22

HE LOVES ME

“In all times of emotional disturbance or indecision, we can pause, ask for quiet, and in the stillness simply say: ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference’.” 12&12 p.41

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” Psalm 37:7

For what it's worth: God would not act on my behalf, except to condemn me for what I did and what I failed to do. And I deserved it. That self-pity, my sick pride, and stubborn resistance were a black cloud of doom hanging over me even long into recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. Many sober years working the Twelve Steps were necessary to be rid of that dark cloud. Finally in the sunlight, I saw God loved me and was looking after me even during my dark, diseased days. And my sober experiences have taught me to trust God's love. He will be with me during the strongest storms. During the storm, it might appear He is absent, or slow getting there, but He will be there with me because He wants to be with me. He loves me and will never allow me to suffer alone.

God bless you.
Joe W.

[bluidkiti]

July 23

A BETTER WAY

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (New Living Translation)

“We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 68

For what it’s worth: Trusting me in the bottle was insane. How often I would write out my plans for change while I was drinking and not be able to read them the next morning! Sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous has taught me to trust my Heavenly Father rather than me. None of my genius was necessary to find out this works much better.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 24

AM I READY?

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” Psalm 42:1-2 (New Living Translation)

“Self-seeking will slip away.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 84

For what it's worth: My whole being was void and craved alcohol for fulfillment, but, as a worthless drunk, I was blind to the slavery and emptiness of my addiction. Only God's amazing grace opened the eyes of my soul to see my desperate longing for Him. By then, I had run too far from Him and was too sick to come to Him, so He came to me in Alcoholics Anonymous. He used the Twelve Steps to slowly slip away my self-seeking and grant me His gift of a spiritual awakening. Today, I do not thirst for the drink; I seek a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father. I must admit, however, the alcoholic in me still drags around some old, rusty chains from bondage of self. Besides, some shame from my past remains. So, am I ready to “go and stand before Him”?

God bless you.
Joe W.

[bluidkiti]

July 25

FRESH EACH DAY

“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:23 (New Living Translation)

“The remorse, horror and hopelessness of the next morning are unforgettable.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 6

For what it's worth: Unforgettable, indeed! Acohol lost its majic and the next mornings were filled with anxiety and despair. I believed the only end would be suicide, but fear of facing a harshly judgmental Creator forced me to seek relief. I tried everywhere without success, and, finally, I attended a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. There, to my surprise, after years of sobriety and daily application of the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, I realized I found everything I ever sought in life. Today, deep in my being I can trust the love of my Heavenly Father and the spiritual power of Alcoholics Anonymous. Since I suffer with problems other than alcoholism, some days I am weak and filled with doubt, but I know if the darkness continues through the night, my Heavenly Father’s “mercies begin afresh each morning”.

God bless you.
Joe W.

[bluidkiti]

July 26

“If we were to live, we had to be free of anger.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 66

“Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help." Psalm 30:10

For what it's worth: Reality had been dodged for so long that when it whacked me in the head, I feared and raged. I was angry at God. I fought acceptance and surrender. I could not be powerless. I did not need to meet with a bunch of drunks. And, as a Marine, I was not about to surrender. I was afraid I could not do what Alcoholic's Anonymous suggested I needed to do to stay sober and alive. Indeed, it was miraculous that I did not drink while fighting the Program. It was God. I do not remember crying out for help, but, despite my attitude, He was merciful to me. I did not realize it at first, but when I became aware of God's help I started to believe He loved me. That was the start of my spiritual recovery. Today, instead of fighting there is surrender, instead of anger there is calm, and instead of fear there is trust in my Heavenly Father's love.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 27

WELCOME

“We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 83

“Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” Isaiah 44:22

For what it's worth: Something was always whispering to me even during my deepest descent into alcoholism. I know now it was God's gentle attempts to save me. When I opened the door to my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, God was there waiting with open arms. I was too sick to realize it back then, but He welcomed me through the non-judgmental, loving acceptance of the members of Alcoholics Anonymous. And God continues to grant me happiness and freedom as I live the Twelve Steps. Today, in addition to continuing to practice the program daily, I want to welcome the next person I see walk through the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 28

THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE

“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.” 2 Corinthians 9:6 (New Living Translation)

“Give freely of what you find and join us.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 164

For what it's worth: My alcoholic way was getting, getting, getting, usually a drink. This self-centeredness was deep rooted and became a miserable way of existence. To change meant a total overhaul, and I did not feel capable of change, but I desperately needed relief from bondage of self. The day I walked into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, I sought nothing other than reprieve from the hell of alcoholism. I believe the people were waiting for me, - God certainly was - because miracles started immediately, starting with hope to end the despair and fellowship to end the loneliness. Step by Twelve Steps, I became a different man, interested in giving more than getting. Actually, this practice became the foundation of my sobriety. Alcoholics Anonymous offered me ways of giving and serving, and, throughout my years of sobriety, the grace of God has given me strength to plant generously, and I have been generously rewarded. As I get older, however, I am able to do less, and this concerns me. I will have another talk with my Heavenly Father today.

God bless you.
Joe W.

[bluidkiti]

July 29

ALWAYS A BLESSING

“Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 133

“For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” 2 Corinthians 4:17

For what it's worth: Alcoholism manufactured enough misery. It needed no help from me, but I had to contribute anyway. God must have noticed that I was burying myself, because He granted me sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. After many sober years and a lot of patience on God's part, I see my problems right size and attempt to find opportunity in them. I know my heaviest burdens are never as severe as they feel at the time, and they always produce spiritual growth. Getting through them without drinking certainly demonstrates God's grace at work in my life. And there is always a blessing.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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July 30

ERODING SOBRIETY

“Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 65

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.” Luke 16:10

For what it's worth: My identity was lost in the lies. By the time I showed up at the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous, I did not know my real self. So, not being able to be genuine about who I was, with God’s help I became rigorously honest about my experiences. In sober time, the real pieces came together and I dumped the lies. Years practicing the principle of honesty and begging God's grace, I have learned who I am, and today, when I share about myself, I double check my honesty so the lies never creep back. It is that first little one that starts eroding my sobriety.

God bless you.
Joe W.