TRUSTING OTHERS
June 23
Daily Reflections Book
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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June 23
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
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 at 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.
Commune with God in quiet times until the life from God, the Divine life, by that very contact, flows into your being and revives 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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Daily Reflections Book
June 22
TODAY, I'M FREE
This brought me to the good healthy realization that there were plenty of situations left in the world over which I had no personal power β that if I was so ready to admit that to be the case with alcohol, so I must make the same admission with respect to much else.
I would have to be still and know that He, not I, was God.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 114
I am learning to practice acceptance in all circumstances of my life, so that I may enjoy peace of mind.
At one time life was a constant battle because I felt I had to go through each day fighting myself, and everyone else.
Eventually, this became a losing battle. I ended up getting drunk and crying over my misery.
When I began to let go and let God take over my life I began to have peace of mind. Today, I am free.
I do not have to fight anybody or anything anymore.
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June 22
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
Thought for the Day
If you have any doubt, just ask any of the older members of the A.A. group, and they will readily tell you that since they turned their lives over to the care of God as they understand Him, many of their problems have banished into the forgotten yesterdays.
When you allow yourself to be upset over one thing, you succeed only in opening the door from the coming of hundreds of other upsetting things. Am I allowing myself to be upset over little things?
Meditation for the Day
I would do well not to think of the Red Sea of difficulties that lies ahead. I am sure that when I come to that Red Sea, the waters will part and I will be given all the power I need to face and overcome many difficulties and meet what is in store for me with courage.
I believe that I will pass through that Red Sea to the promised land, the land of the spirit where many souls meet in perfect comradeship.
I believe that when that time comes, I will be freed of all the dross of material things and find peace.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may face the future with courage.
I pray that I may be given strength to face both life and death fearlessly.
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Daily Reflections Book
June 21
FEAR AND FAITH
The achievement of freedom from fear is a lifetime undertaking, one that can never be wholly completed.
When under heavy attack, acute illness, or in other conditions of serious insecurity, we shall all react to this emotion β well or badly, as the case may be.
Only the self-deceived will claim perfect freedom from fear.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 263
Fear has caused suffering when I could have had more faith.
There are times when fear suddenly tears me apart, just when I'm experiencing feelings of joy, happiness and a lightness of heart. Faith β and a feeling of self-worth toward a Higher Power β helps me endure tragedy and ecstasy. When I choose to give all of my fears over to my Higher Power, I will be free.
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June 21
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
Thought for the Day
Intelligent faith in that Power greater than ourselves can be counted on to stabilize our emotions.
It has an incomparable capacity to help us look at life in balanced perspective.
We look up, around, and away from ourselves, and we see that nine out of ten things that at the moment upset us will shortly disappear.
Problems solve themselves; criticism and unkindness vanish as though they had never been.
Have I got the proper perspective toward life?
Meditation for the Day
A truly spiritual man or woman would like to have a serene mind.
The only way to keep calm in this troubled world is to have a serene mind. The calm and sane mind sees spiritual things as the true realities and material things as only temporary and fleeting. That sort of mind you can never obtain by reasoning, because your reasoning powers are limited by space and time. That kind of a mind you can never obtain by reading, because other minds are also limited in the same way.
You can only have that mind by an act of faith, by making the venture of belief.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may have a calm and sane mind.
I pray that I may look up, around, and away from myself.
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June 20
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
Thought for the Day
You should be ready and willing to carry the A.A. message when called upon to do so.
Live for some purpose greater than yourself.
Each day you will have something to work for.
You have received so much from this program that you should have a vision that gives your life a direction and a purpose that gives meaning to each new day.
Let us not slide along through life.
Let us have a purpose for each day and let us make that purpose for something greater than just ourselves.
What is my purpose for today?
Meditation for the Day
To see God with eyes of faith is to cause God's power to manifest itself in the material world.
God cannot do His work because of unbelief.
In response to your belief, God can work a miracle in your personality.
All miracles happen in the realm of personality and all are caused by and based on belief in God's never-failing power.
But God's power cannot manifest itself in personalities unless those personalities make His power available by their faith.
We can only see God with the eyes of faith, but this kind of seeing produces a great change in our way of living.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may see God with the eyes of faith.
I pray that this seeing will produce a change in my personality.
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Daily Reflections Book
June 20
RELEASE FROM FEAR
The problem of resolving fear has two aspects.
We shall have to try for all the freedom from fear that is possible for us to attain.
Then we shall need to find both the courage and grace to deal constructively with whatever fears remain.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 61
Most of my decisions were based on fear. Alcohol made life easier to face, but the time came when alcohol was no longer an alternative to fear.
One of the greatest gifts in A.A. for me has been the courage to take action, which I can do with God's help.
After five years of sobriety I had to deal with a heavy dose of fear. God put the people in my life to help me do that and, through my working the Twelve Steps, I am becoming the whole person I wish to be and, for that, I am deeply grateful.
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Daily Reflections Book
June 19
"A.A. REGENERATION"
Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one's old life as a condition for finding a new one.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 46
A thousand beatings by John Barleycorn did not encourage me to admit defeat.
I believed it was my moral obligation to conquer my "enemy-friend."
At my first A.A. meeting I was blessed with a feeling that it was all right to admit defeat to a disease which had nothing to do with my "moral fiber."
I knew instinctively that I was in the presence of a great love when I entered the doors of A.A.
With no effort on my part, I became aware that to love myself was good and right, as God had intended.
My feelings set me free, where my thoughts had held me in bondage. I am grateful.
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June 19
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
Thought for the Day
We have this choice every day of our lives.
We can take the path that leads to insanity and death (and remember, our next drunk could be our last one).
Or we can take the path that leads to a reasonably happy and useful life.
The choice is ours each day of our lives.
God grant that we take the right path.
Have I made my choice today?
Meditation for the Day
Your real work in life is to grow spiritually.
To do this you must follow the path of diligently seeking good.
The hidden spiritual wonders are revealed to those who diligently seek this treasure.
From one point to the next, you have to follow the way of obedience to God's will until finally you reach greater and greater spiritual heights.
Work on the material plane should be secondary to your real life's work.
The material things that you need most are those that help you to attain the spiritual.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may keep growing spiritually.
I pray that I may make this my real life's work.
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Daily Reflections Book
June 18
A FELLOWSHIP OF FREEDOM
. . . if only men were granted absolute liberty, and were compelled to obey no one, they would then voluntarily associate themselves in the common interest.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 50
When I no longer live under the dictates of another or of alcohol, I live in a new freedom.
When I release the past and all the excess baggage I have carried for so very long, I come to know freedom.
I have been introduced into a life and a fellowship of freedom.
The Steps are a "recommended" way of finding a new life, there are no commands or dictates in A.A. I am free to serve from desire rather than decree.
There is the understanding that I will benefit from the growth of other members and I take what I learn and bring it back to the group.
The "common welfare" finds room to grow in the society of personal freedom.
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June 18
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
Thought for the Day
The A.A. way of living is not an easy one. But it's an adventure in living that is really worthwhile. And it's so much better than our old drunken way of living that there's no comparison.
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Our lives without A.A. would be worth nothing. With A.A., we have a chance to live reasonably good lives.
It's worth the battle, no matter how tough the going is from day to day.
Isn't it worth the battle?
Meditation for the Day
The spiritual life has two parts. One is the life apart, the life of prayer and quiet communion with God. You spend this part of your life apart with God.
Every day your mind can be set in the right direction so that your thoughts will be of the right kind. The other is the life impart - imparting to others what you have learned from your own meditative experience.
The victories you have won over yourself through the help of God can be shared with others. You can help them by imparting to them some of the victory and security that you have gained in your life apart.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may grow strong from my times apart with God.
I pray that I may pass on some of this strength to others.
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Daily Reflections Book
June 17
"DEEP DOWN WITHIN US"
We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found. . . search diligently within yourself. . . . With this attitude you cannot fail.
The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 55
It was out of the depths of loneliness, depression and despair that I sought the help of A.A. As I recovered and began to face the emptiness and ruin of my life, I began to open myself to the possibility of the healing that recovery offers through the A.A. program.
By coming to meetings, staying sober, and taking the Steps, I had the opportunity to listen with increasing attentiveness to the depths of my soul.
Daily I waited, in hope and gratitude, for that sure belief and steadfast love I had longed for in my life. In this process, I met my God, as I understand Him.
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June 17
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
Thought for the Day
We in A.A. have the privilege of living two lives in one lifetime.
One life of drunkenness, failure, and defeat. Then, through A.A., another life of sobriety, peace of mind, and usefulness.
We who have recovered our sobriety are modern miracles. And we're living on borrowed time. Some of us might have been dead long ago.
But we have been given another chance to live.
Do I owe a debt of gratitude to A.A. that I can never repay as long as I live?
Meditation for the Day
Thinking about God in love and worship drives away evil. It is the thought before that the hosts of evil flee. The thought of a Power greater than
yourself is the call for a lifeline to rescue you from temptation. The thought of God banishes loneliness and dispels gloom.
It summons help to conquer your faults. Think of God as often as possible. Use the thought prayerfully and purposefully. It will carry your thoughts away from material things and toward the spiritual things that make life worthwhile.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may think of God often.
I pray that I may rest in peace at the thought of His love and care.
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Daily Reflections Book
June 16
OPEN-MINDEDNESS
We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek.
It is open, we believe, to all men.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 46
Open-mindedness to concepts of a Higher Power can open doors to the spirit.
Often I find the human spirit in various dogmas and faiths. I can be spiritual in the sharing of myself.
The sharing of self joins me to the human race and brings me closer to God, as I understand Him.
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June 16
Twenty-Four Hours A Day Book
Thought for the Day
But even faith is not the whole story.
There must be service. We must give this thing away if we want to keep it.
The Dead Sea has no outlet and it is stagnant and full of salt.
The Sea of Galilee is clear and clean and blue, as the Jordan River carries it out to irrigate the desert. To be of service to other people makes our lives worth living.
Does service to others give me a real purpose in life?
Meditation for the Day
Seek God early in the day, before He gets crowded out by life's problems, difficulties, or pleasures. In that early quiet time gain a calm, strong confidence in the goodness and purpose in the universe. Do not seek God only when the world's struggles prove too much and too many for you to bear or face alone.
Seek God early, when you can have a consciousness of God's spirit in the world.
People often only seek God when their difficulties are too great to be surmounted in any other way, forgetting that if they sought God's companionship before they need it, many of their difficulties would never arise.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not let God be crowded out by the hurly burly of life.
I pray that I may seek God early and often.
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