Daily Recovery Readings - October

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October 13

Daily Reflections

UNREMITTING INVENTORIES

Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment,
and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove
them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make
amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely
turn our thoughts to someone we can help.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

The immediate admission of wrong thoughts or actions is a
tough task for most human beings, but for recovering alcoholics
like me it is difficult because of my propensity toward ego,
fear and pride. The freedom the A.A. program offers me becomes
more abundant when, through unremitting inventories of myself,
I admit, acknowledge and accept responsibility for my wrong-doing.
It is possible then for me to grow into a deeper and better
understanding of humility. My willingness to admit when the
fault is mine facilitates the progression of my growth and helps
me to become more understanding and helpful to others.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

A.A. work is one hundred percent voluntary. It depends on each
and every one of our members to volunteer to do his or her share.
Newcomers can sit on the sidelines until they have got over their
nervousness and confusion. They have a right to be helped by all,
until they can stand on their own feet. But the time inevitably
comes when they have to speak up and volunteer to do their share
in meetings and in twelfth step work. Until that time comes, they
are not a vital part of A.A. They are only in the process of being
assimilated. Has my time come to volunteer?

Meditation For The Day

God's kingdom on earth is growing slowly, like a seed in the
ground. In the growth of his kingdom there is always progress
among the few who are out ahead of the crowd. Keep striving for
something better and there can be no stagnation in your life.
Eternal life, abundant life is yours for the seeking. Do not
mis-spend time over past failures. Count the lessons earned
from failures as rungs upon the ladder of progress. Press onward
toward the goal.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be willing to grow. I pray that I may keep
stepping up on the rungs of the ladder of life.

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As Bill Sees It

FAITH-A BLUEPRINT-AND WORK, p. 284

"The idea of 'twenty-four-hour living' applies primarily to the
emotional life of the individual. Emotionally speaking, we must not live
in yesterday, nor in tomorrow.

"But I have never been able to see that this means the individual, the
group, or A.A. as a whole should give no thought whatever to how to
function tomorrow or even in the more distant future. Faith alone
never constructed the house you live in. There had to be a blueprint
and a lot of work to bring it into reality.

"Nothing is truer for us of A.A. than the Biblical saying 'Faith without
works is dead.' A.A.'s services, all designed to make more and better
Twelfth Step work possible, are the 'works' that insure our life and
growth by preventing anarchy or stagnation."

LETTER, 1954

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Walk In Dry Places

When are we receiving guidance?
Guidance
We have to face the fact that what we see as divine guidance may simply be an expression of self-will.. We are all too familiar with examples of people who did terrible things, claiming to be obeying orders from God.
We cannot judge whether another is really receiving guidance from a Higher Power. In our own lives, however, we can learn to distinguish between God’s guidance and our self-will. The outstanding characteristic of a divinely guided action is the strong sense of peace it brings. Even if we have to deny oureslves for a time, we sense that the final outcome of any decision will be beneficial for all concerned. We do not have to argue for or defend our decision.
When self-will is in the saddle, we may find ourselves being called on to justify our actions. We may also have to quell or rationalize feelings of guilt or doubt.
The right answers come when self-will is working in harmony with the Higher Will. Our lves will have a quality that everybody senses, including ourselves.
Knowing that self-will can easily lead me astray, I'll listen today for the divine voice of my Higher Power.

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Keep It Simple

Self-pity is one of the most dangerous forms of self-centeredness. It fogs our vision. ---Kathy S.
Sometimes we get stuck in our own way of seeing things. We may feel as if everything that happens, happens to us or for us. If it rains, we may think about our ruined picnic and not about the dry fields that need the rain. We need to focus on the big picture. This keeps us from becoming self-centered. If it rains, we’ll gather indoors and be glad for the farmers. When we do our part, things go well. When we don’t we feel it. Every else feels it too. Self pity keeps us from doing our part.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see myself as a big part of the picture. My job is just is to do my part.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think about how I fit in with my Higher Power, my family, the place I work, my community. Do I do my part?

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Each Day a New Beginning

Never turn down a job because you think it's too small; you don't know where it can lead. --Julia Morgan
How short is our vision of where an invitation might take us! Any invitation. Of one thing we can be certain, it offers an opportunity for making a choice, which means taking responsibility for who we're becoming. Choice making is growth enhancing because it strengthens our awareness of personal power.
Our lives unfold in small measures, just as small as they need to be for our personal comfort. It's doubtful that we could handle everything the future has in store, today; however, we will be prepared for it, measure by measure, choice by choice, day by day. We need not fear; what is meted out to us in the invitations offered is for our benefit. We are on a pathway to goodness.
The thrill of making choices is new to many of us when we enter this program. We'd opted for the passive life, all too often, and we became increasingly aware of, and often depressed by, our self-imposed powerlessness. Free at last! We are free at last to fully participate in our lives.
I will be grateful for the many options to act tugging at me today. Every choice I make strengthens my womanhood.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 5 - HOW IT WORKS

This is the how and the why of it. First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn’t work. Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His children. Most Good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.

p. 62

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Twelve - "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."

Furthermore, how shall we come to terms with seeming failure or success? Can we now accept and adjust to either without despair or pride? Can we accept poverty, sickness, loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity? Can we steadfastly content ourselves with the humbler, yet sometimes more durable, satisfactions when the brighter, more glittering achievements are denied us?
The A.A. answer to these questions about living is "Yes, all of these things are possible." We know this because we see monotony, pain, and even calamity turned to good use by those who keep on trying to practice A.A.'s Twelve Steps. And if these are facts of life for the many alcoholics who have recovered in A.A., they can become the facts of life for many more.

p. 112

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"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next.
Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer."
--Denis Waitley

I pray to see the path God lights for me as I am at times blinded by my own lack of
consciousness or lack of faith.
--Shelley

Spend 2 minutes a day reassuring yourself that you are made of loving
thoughts. Spend the rest of the day acting on those thoughts.
--unknown

"Those who walk with God always get to their destination."
--Unknown

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else."
--Charles Dickens

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PREJUDICE

"I am the inferior of any man
whose rights I trample underfoot."
-- Horace Greeley

Now I can see my feelings of inferiority in the assumed arrogance of my past
behavior. Now I see that behind the pride was the need to prove myself. The
manipulation was a cover for my insecurity.

At some point years ago I accepted the idea that I was not good enough and needed
to pretend to be something different. The use of alcohol was part of this disease
process. Money, friends, fast cars and debts were all drawn into the delusion.

Today I am learning to accept me. I am not a millionaire, I will probably never be a
millionaire and so I do not need to adopt the lifestyle of a millionaire! I work in an
office. I drive a Ford. But today I am happy. Today I can pay my bills. Today I have
friends who are involved in my life. Today I do not have to put people down to
feel important. Today I have discovered that the people I treated with disdain are
just like me.

I pray that I may receive healing and forgiveness from those I considered inferior.

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Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Mark 9:23

"The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more."
Psalm 121:8

"Come near to God and he will come near to you."
James 4:8a

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Daily Inspiration

Good is always coming to you. No matter what is happening in your life, you can bless it with prayer and be peaceful. Lord, You give me the courage to face any situation confidently and victoriously.

Choose to be worthy to yourself and never confuse self worth with behavior. Lord, help me to be less critical of my past and see that this moment right now is all that I can do anything about.